Red Bull reveals secret simulator sessions that helped Yuki Tsunoda seal the spot as Max Verstappen's teammate

Red Bull's Helmut Marko has revealed Yuki Tsunoda was put through multiple simulator sessions where he performed admirably before the team took a final call on him being Max Verstappen's teammate. The second seat at the team has been a bone of contention for a while.

Red Bull cars possess a unique trait that only Max Verstappen can seemingly master, leaving his teammates to rely on their own abilities. Some very impressively talented drivers have sat in the seat next to Verstappen but struggled to get even close to him in terms of performance.

This is precisely what has caught out Liam Lawson, who has been dropped by the team after just two races. The Kiwi had a disastrous start to life at Red Bull as he could not even make it past Q1. With that being said, the decision to drop him after two races does come as a surprise.

Talking to motorsport.com, Helmut Marko reveals that the final call was made after Yuki Tsunoda conducted multiple simulator sessions with the team. Unlike what appears to be a perception around the driver, Marko reveals that Tsunoda gave precise technical feedback, which ultimately convinced Red Bull about signing the Japanese driver. Marko said,

"Again, this is Yuki's fifth year and experience is a huge factor in these situations. Yuki has said several times that he is actually the best man for Red Bull Racing. We put him in the simulator two or three times and those sessions were very good. Also his technical feedback, which he was criticized for in the past, was very solid."

Marko reveals that Red Bull did simulator sessions with Yuki Tsunoda after Shanghai

It does appear that the team conducted multiple simulator sessions with Yuki Tsunoda after the race in Shanghai, where Liam Lawson had a poor run. The timeline does hold true as it was soon after that reports of the team's decision started making rounds. Revealing details about Tsunoda's session, Marko said,

"Yes, after Shanghai. We had to react quickly and everything went positively. Also the technical feedback. He is often accused of not having that, or of not understanding the technical side of the car or not being able to make the set-up. That turned out not to be true."

Yuki Tsunoda would be making his Red Bull debut in Suzuka, his hometown. With that being said, there is going to be a lot of pressure on the Japanese driver as he has had no testing under him to get used to the car. Liam Lawson struggled against Verstappen even though he had decent mileage under him, Tsunoda is up against when we compare the two scenarios.

It will be interesting to see how the Japanese driver fares. If he's able to perform in the car, he could secure a long-term future. If he can't, he might out of a drive by the end of the season.