Yuki Tsunoda, reflecting on his debut race weekend with… read more
Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull Racing following the Chinese Grand Prix, taking over the seat from Liam Lawson, who moved in the opposite direction to Racing Bulls. The Japanese Grand Prix weekend started with promising signs for Tsunoda, as he demonstrated competitive pace in Free Practice sessions, often showing top-10 potential. However, things took a turn in qualifying. Tsunoda made a mistake during the second phase of qualifying, which left him in 15th place. His position improved marginally when Carlos Sainz received a penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton, which allowed Tsunoda to move up one spot. Despite this minor improvement, he was still well outside the top 10, which was a disappointment given the earlier promise shown in practice.
During the race itself, Tsunoda had a tough battle to make his way up through the field. He managed to pass both his teammate, Liam Lawson, and Pierre Gasly, another former Red Bull driver, but still finished a distant 58 seconds behind his teammate Max Verstappen, who went on to win the race. Reflecting on his performance, Tsunoda said he had mixed feelings about the outcome. He expressed his disappointment with the result, acknowledging that he had hoped for more, especially considering it was his home race. “At least, I wanted to finish in the points this weekend,” Tsunoda said, highlighting that he had aimed for a top-10 finish.
The 24-year-old Japanese driver identified his performance in qualifying as a critical factor in his lack of success. He explained that despite having strong pace, he was hindered by being stuck in traffic throughout the session. This, combined with his mistake at Turn 1, prevented him from advancing further in qualifying. Tsunoda found this aspect of the weekend particularly frustrating, but he was also keen to focus on the positives. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot of things in the 53 laps,” Tsunoda said, referring to the valuable experience he gained during the race. “I learned more than anything, so I’m positive about that,” he added, showing a clear understanding that despite not achieving the results he had hoped for, there were still lessons to be taken from the weekend.
While Tsunoda was disappointed with his own performance, Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko offered praise for the Japanese driver’s pace across the weekend. Marko acknowledged that Tsunoda had made a mistake during qualifying, which cost him valuable grid positions, but pointed out that in all the other sessions, Tsunoda had been very close to Max Verstappen’s pace, often being within two to three tenths of a second of the race winner. Marko highlighted this as a positive sign, noting that this was exactly the level of performance Red Bull was looking for in a driver. Despite the tough outcome in the race, Tsunoda’s performance in practice and his overall pace were seen as encouraging by the team.
Looking ahead, Tsunoda expressed excitement for the next race, eager to continue learning and improving. However, he also admitted that racing at his home Grand Prix added extra pressure. “It’s a home Grand Prix. It’s once in a year, so it was a bit tough,” he said, recognizing that the significance of the event had made the result even harder to accept. Despite this, Tsunoda remains optimistic about his future with Red Bull, understanding that every race provides opportunities for growth and development.
In summary, Tsunoda’s debut weekend with Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix was a bittersweet experience. While he was frustrated by his result and his qualifying mistake, he recognized the valuable lessons learned and was determined to build on his experiences for future races. With the support of Red Bull, who saw potential in his pace, Tsunoda is looking forward to the rest of the season and is hopeful that his next opportunities will yield better results.
