“I remember when he debuted in F1, everyone was questioning him, then he did a great job. It happened to me when I entered F1, everyone was questioning it and saying, ‘This is not a racing school, he should have more experience.’
“Yuki got better step by step and now he’s a very solid driver, getting the maximum out of his car. Last year, he did a great test for Red Bull in Abu Dhabi, and they didn’t give him the seat. Now it’s switched and I would say, if I were him, knowing that probably he is in his prime… I wouldn’t feel like there’s so much pressure on me.
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“It’s Yuki’s home Grand Prix, he knows very well the track, he’s coming from very solid, consistent races, with good performances. He’s very motivated to step into the big team, so I think it’s going to go well for him, honestly.
“I would be surprised if he is much slower than Max. I think he’ll be slower, but I don’t think he’ll be more than half a second, six-tenths slower. Making a better job of what Liam did in the first two races is something quite achievable, even though I don’t think it’s fair on Liam [to be dropped].
“To keep that Red Bull seat for a long time? I don’t know. You never know with Red Bull. At least he’s in the best situation possible of any of their junior drivers [in recent times], I would say.”
.webp?ssl=1 "James Hinchcliffe picks his top five drivers of the 2026 Formula 1 season so far")
