So now it’s the Yuki Tsunod’s turn to enter what his new boss regularly admitted is the “hardest chair in Formula 1” – he is Max Verstappen’s teammate.
After Liam Lawson is a problem, but an extremely short stay at two races in the second Red Bull seat at the beginning of the new season, Tsunoda will take over this weekend from the third round for what happens or not, his home Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.
For Tsunod, the promotion of chances is finally to prove what he has been telling everyone for some time – that he is ready to fight on the front of F1.
For the Red Bull, for all the shock and criticism that accompanied their brutal driver switch so soon to the campaign, the Suzuka weekend will give them the first chance to start to find out whether they made the correct calls to Sergio Perez on the second attempt.
Why Tsunoda feels that his chance is delayed
It was in July last year, when fresh rumors began to whirl around the Perez future in the middle of a fresh decline in Mexican form that Tsunod had first begun to express public frustration from what he considered a lack of opportunity to move Red Bull.
At that time, the Japanese driver was in the middle of his fourth season in the junior group and apparently became more rounded and consistent artist compared to his first days in the team, with a hobby in the wild incides on the track, mistakes and radio explosions that decreased at their frequency.
After constantly improving with the more experienced Pierre Gasly after the Frenchman originally dominated his debut year 2021, Tsunoda saw a new challenge Dutchman Nyck de Vries in the area of 10 races at the beginning of 2023 and now overcome the eight -time racetrack Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo was brought back to Red Bull Fold in the previous year after McLaren was dropped as an effective insurance contract if the higher team needs an experienced compensation for still inconsistent Perez. But Tsunoda regularly overcame him and outscorized.
“It is obvious that I feel prepared compared to the last three years, fighting the best teams, higher positions, even IS Max or anything,” Tsunoda said at last year’s GP. “But in the end they are they who decide and it is not a thing I can control. So I focus only on what I have to do.”
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With pressure on Sergio Perez in 2024 Tsunoda said he would be ready to enter the Red Bull team and invite Max Verstappen
He also described the idea that at this point Red Bull could instead decide to promote the inexperienced Lawson, who appeared in five races next to Tsunod, while in the season he filled the injured Ricciardo, but was currently their reserve driver as “strange”.
For four months in November, As Perez’s permanent lack of form, which makes his position besides Verstappen, it seems increasingly unsustainable when the season has fallen, As Lawson now his full -time teammate after Red Bull called Ricciardo’s return, frustrated Tsunoda.
“I always say I certainly deserve it. I can’t say more than that. It’s up to them,” he said. “Whenever they still send me the driver to beat me, just destroy them. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
Partly thanks to the supporters of Honda’s ability to persuade, Tsunoda would eventually have a chance to try the main car Red Bull for the first time in a session meeting in Abu Dhabi in early December, although until then it was largely open to Perez and Lawson got.
This is properly, as it played a few days later, which seemed that Tsunod’s Avenue left the main team for an indefinite period – especially with Honda supporters to Aston Martin at the end of 2025.
The scope of Lawson’s fighting in the first fourteen days of the new season, and the rush, with which Red Bull dealt with after the second round in China to make the switch, all changed.
What is in Tsunoda’s In-Tray for Suzuka?
The first thing that Tsunoda will clearly want to equalize as quickly as possible in the debut weekend is the RB21 car, which no one in Red Bull, even Verstappen, seems to be currently not recognized.
Unlike Lawson, Tsunoda will not have the advantage of building a pre -season before the season, which will first run RB21 in real life when the light is green on Friday morning.
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Craig Slater explains why Lawson was exchanged with Tsunoda after just two races of the Formula 1 season
Whether to debut for the senior team at his home event proves assistance or obstacle, it is necessary to see, although on the positive side Suzuka is certainly a trace that Tsunoda needs absolutely no introduction.
In his three performances F1 there has not been qualified for less than 13 so far. For Racing Bulls and last year’s Grand Prix for his first home point ended in 10th place.
Needless to say, the Japanese only current star F1 will also have huge home support.
In seemingly more satisfactory, although less competitive, the car that will now be driven, Tsunod also launched a new campaign well on racing bulls who qualified in the TOP 10 in all three qualification sessions and earned points with the sixth place in Shanghai Sprint.
Its three -point haul would be almost certainly higher, but for racing bull strategy it would be in both Grand Prix.
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Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz sat down with Tsunoda in 2024 to see his home race on the Japanese Grand Prix
Tsunoda will complete the seat customization and last week the simulator at the Milton Keynes Red Bull factory before he flew to Japan, but it will be on the track in three hour training before Saturday’s qualifications in Japan, when they really find out what it is working with.
These sessions will be about building a car confidence and the introduction of strong workflows with their new team and colleagues. Early momentum, which proved to be elusive to find for the unfortunate Lawson.
What results are expected to achieve Tsunoda?
While the events of the last week stressed that time was definitely the essence of the notorious Driver Driver Driver, one thing that the team leadership will hardly expect from Tsunod – if at any stage – it is for him to match the fast and reduceable pace of the world.
So what is the role of the second Red Bull driver right now?
Sky Sports F1 Commentator David Croft said, “Thinking in the long term, if Yuki gets in the long term, he has to get in a few tenths of a second in Verstappen’s qualifying.
“He must get a score of consistent points and be there to take part in the chances when they get in their way.
“Do not think that he will beat Verstappen, although I am sure Yuki would love it. Max is the best driver in the grid currently – not in the best car but is the best driver of the grid.”
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David Croft believes that Lawson should have more time on the Red Bull seat but thinks he will benefit from step back with Racing Bulls
Great talent Verstappen and permanent impressive performances that the ruling four -time world champion can pull out of the challenging car Red Bull – which sees sitting second with McLaren’s Lando Norris at the beginning of the 2025 drivers – is why Team Boss Christian Horner is routinely described.
“Yuki has to play a race, not a teammate,” he advises Croft about how to approach as a teammate with a Dutchman.
“In the darts, say you are against Luke Littler, you are not playing a man, playing on the board, from 501 to the double surface as quickly as you can, and forget that you are playing.
“Yuki must forget who his teammate is, just go out and do the maximum that every session can, in every qualifying session and every race.
“That might alleviate the pressure now, because there is a huge pressure difference between racing bull racing – although it is doing very well and is very unfortunate that it does not score points in the first two races – and races Red Bull, who expect winnings, poles and championships.”
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Look back at some of the most interesting judges about the title that will take place on the Japanese Grand Prix
Thursday 3rd April
- 5:00: Driver’s press conference
Friday 4th April
- 3:00: Japanese practical GP one (session starts at 3.30 pm)
- 5.30: 00: Team directors press conference
- 6.45: 00: Japanese practice GP Two (session starts at 7:00)
- 8.15: 00: Show F1
Saturday 5th April
- 3.15: 00: Japanese practice GP three (session starts at 3.30)
- 6:00: Japan GP qualification accumulation
- 7:00: Qualification of Japanese GP
- 9:00: Ted’s qualifying notebook
Sunday 6th April
- 4.30: 00: Setup of Japanese GP: Grand Prix Sunday
- 6:00: Japanese Grand Prix
- 8:00: Japanese GP reaction: chessboard
- 9:00: Ted’s notebook
Formula 1 heads to the iconic SUZUKA for the Japanese Grand Prix on 4.-6. April, lives on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract whenever cancel
