After a solid weekend in Japan, Yuki Tsunoda is settling in well with Red Bull, impressing the team with his progress.
Christian Horner believes Yuki Tsunoda is “settling in well” with Red Bull, following his first race weekend with the Austrian team in Japan.
Tsunoda qualified in 15th place, behind Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced at Red Bull, after making a mistake during his final run in Q2. However, he quickly gained positions during the race, overtaking Lawson on the first lap and performing an undercut on Pierre Gasly during the pit stops. From there, he spent the rest of his home race stuck behind Fernando Alonso and his Aston Martin.
“Horner commented, “Yuki has integrated well into the team. He’s provided excellent feedback. His first Free Practice session was solid, and his third was decent.”
“In Q1, he was just one-tenth behind Max. In Q2, he made a mistake while going 15 km/h faster than ever before in the first corner. He was lucky to avoid a bigger issue and then spent the rest of the lap chasing recovery, but it wasn’t possible.”
“The qualifying result really dictated his race. I don’t recall seeing many overtakes after that. Had he qualified higher, his race result would have been better.”
Horner added, “He’s now finding his rhythm with the team, and we expect to see his performance improve in the upcoming races.”
Dr. Helmut Marko also praised Tsunoda’s approach to setups, noting that Tsunoda and Max Verstappen share similar preferences, which helps the new Red Bull driver pairing mesh well together.
“Yuki is happy with Max’s setups. They have the same preferences, so it’s a good fit,” said Marko.
He also acknowledged the importance of having both cars in the points, even though Tsunoda’s performance in Japan was somewhat disappointing.
“The first race went quite well. He was only a few tenths behind Max in practice and qualifying until his elimination. It’s a great achievement when you don’t have much more time to adapt,” Marko added.
When asked if this would satisfy Tsunoda, Marko responded with a smile, “Yes, Yuki will finish the season with Red Bull.”
Horner echoed this, confirming, “If he keeps progressing like this, there’s no reason to consider any driver changes.”
Tsunoda Finds His Feet at Red Bull After Japan Race
Tsunoda Finds His Feet at Red Bull After Japan Race
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