Mekies cautions that Tsunoda's development is still 'not sufficient.'

      "Yuki wouldn’t be pleased either if I claimed this was sufficient."

      French commentators are urging for calm as Yuki Tsunoda's comeback faces renewed examination alongside Isack Hadjar - while team principal Laurent Mekies emphasizes the significance of the Japanese driver ahead of the Mexico race. Hadjar, the apparent leading candidate to replace Tsunoda in 2026, had a challenging experience in Austin, crashing during qualifying and finishing far down the leaderboard, coinciding with one of Tsunoda's best weekends of the season.

      However, the 21-year-old Frenchman has continued to discuss his prospects openly, even suggesting that Red Bull should advance him before the start of 2026. Veteran journalist Jean-Luc Roy expressed to RMC Sport that he has already advised Hadjar to quiet down. "I told him, ‘say nothing! Just focus on your work and deliver results.’ He’s getting himself into a bind," Roy remarked. "We’re not going to overwhelm him or criticize him like we did earlier in the season when he went off in the rain during the formation lap. This was his second mistake. In my view, we definitely don’t want a third. That’s the advice I give him."

      Roy pointed out that Hadjar must first concentrate on outperforming teammate Liam Lawson before entertaining thoughts of joining Red Bull. "In the last seven or eight Grands Prix, he has lagged behind Lawson rather than leading," he highlighted. "They have the same equipment, so things are not going well at all. He needs to stop talking, focus, and get to work."

      Regarding Tsunoda, Roy had a much more optimistic view. "Tsunoda is starting to gain momentum; he had a fantastic Grand Prix, a weekend in which he competed well. If I were in Isack’s position, I would stay silent and continue to work," he cautioned again.

      Mekies, on the other hand, stated that Tsunoda remains crucial for Red Bull Racing as they strive towards the end of 2025. "Yuki has an important role. First of all, there’s still a lot at stake in the Constructors’ Championship," he noted. "Of course, we’re no longer in the race for the world title, but we are competing for the positions immediately below it. So we need Yuki’s points."

      "Moreover, the faster Yuki is, the better we can distribute testing efforts across both cars. Therefore, it’s essential that we have a competitive Yuki," Mekies added, particularly with rookie Arvid Lindblad set to take over from Max Verstappen in the first practice session this weekend in Mexico.

      Mekies acknowledged the significant time disparity between Tsunoda and Verstappen in Austin—52 seconds, nearly a second per lap—but maintained that progress is evident. "We always desire more. I'm not going to claim that this was enough, because you’re correct about the gap," he stated. "I won’t say this was satisfactory; nobody feels that way, and neither does Yuki. What I am saying is he has finished in the points twice now."

      "Yuki had two excellent starts and very strong opening laps," Mekies continued. "This represents progress compared to his performance earlier this year. Is this sufficient? No. I would be lying if I claimed that, and Yuki wouldn’t be satisfied either if I said this was enough."