Yuki Tsunoda’s Challenges in Adapting to Red Bull Racing

Yuki Tsunoda, the young Japanese driver who replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing, has shown promising signs despite the team’s RB21 proving to be a complex and challenging car. Although Tsunoda secured a victory for Red Bull at the Japanese GP, the start of the season has been less straightforward for the Milton Keynes stable.

The Complexity of the RB21 and Tsunoda’s Adaptation

The aim was to simplify the RB20 and expand the operating window to provide more set-up options for the team and drivers. However, despite some minor improvements overall, the RB21 has proven difficult to handle, hindering Tsunoda’s progress.

From his debut at Suzuka, Tsunoda demonstrated potential, climbing out of the lower ranks of the classification, a feat Lawson failed to achieve in both Australia and China. Although Tsunoda has adapted better to the RB21, his adaptation period is far from over. This is one reason Red Bull praises Tsunoda, considering the pressure he faces as a newcomer and competing against Verstappen.

Performance Analysis: Tsunoda vs. Verstappen and the RB21

Comparing Tsunoda’s performance with Red Bull to that of his Racing Bull counterparts, it is evident that they have less load and lower performance peaks but a wider operating window. This allows easier limit-pushing for drivers and engineers.

Analyzing Tsunoda’s qualifying performances with Red Bull so far, some interesting elements emerge, both in terms of his confrontation with Verstappen and maximizing the car’s potential.

Mistakes and Adaptation: A Learning Curve for Tsunoda

Mistakes have arisen from Tsunoda not fully understanding the RB21. He struggled to put all the pieces together during his final Q2 run in Japan, could not improve on his time, paid the price for a mistake at Turn 10 in Bahrain, and made an error coming out of Turn 4 in Saudi Arabia.

These mistakes resemble Lawson’s adaptation path, who, in his two qualifying runs with the RB21, never managed to complete his last attempt without making a mistake, confirming how much he was on the limit.

The Sensitivity of the Red Bull Front End and Tsunoda’s Learning Journey

From the start, Tsunoda was struck by the extreme responsiveness of the front end of the Red Bull, which is more sensitive than that of the Racing Bulls – a characteristic that requires assimilation.

Differences in Downforce Levels and Performance Gap

In the early stages, Tsunoda raced with higher downforce levels to find consistency in the car’s behavior, while Verstappen dealt with a more unloaded rear end – an advantage on the top speed front.

Confidence, Tyre Management, and Building Relationships

Tsunoda acknowledged that he is still learning how the RB21 works and finding the right set-up for it. He spoke of a lack of consistency and the need to understand the car’s behavior, tyre warm-up, and management better.

Tyre preparation and management are crucial in an era when tyres are so sensitive regarding temperature. This is another aspect that clashes with the RB21’s small operating window, which only Verstappen has been able to master.

The Importance of Trust and Relationship Building

Tsunoda emphasized the importance of details in this era of sensitive tyres, where even a tenth or a few milliseconds in each corner make a significant difference. He also highlighted the need for greater confidence in the car and a strong relationship with his engineer, a strength of Verstappen’s partnership with his engineer.

In Bahrain, Tsunoda detailed how he was searching for the feeling with his new track engineer at Red Bull, which takes time to develop. He had also changed race engineers at Racing Bulls in 2024, but Desiderio had already been with the team and understood how to communicate effectively with Tsunoda, aiding the transition.

To speed up Tsunoda’s acclimatization at Red Bull, the team organized an intensive simulator session and on-track training with an RB19 – an opportunity to build up mileage away from the pressures of a race weekend.