Yuki Tsunoda Adapts to Red Bull Formula 1 Car Amid Progress and Challenges

Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda is navigating a steep learning curve as he acclimates to the Red Bull Formula 1 team following a mixed start to his tenure. After debuting with sister squad Racing Bulls, Tsunoda replaced underperforming Liam Lawson at Red Bull after just two grands prix.

A Promising Start with Room for Improvement

Despite showing improvement over Lawson, the 24-year-old Tsunoda has only managed to score two points in his three grands prix aboard the challenging RB21. Citing qualifying as an area for growth, Tsunoda expressed that he needs more time to fully understand the car’s nuances: “It just needs more time, I guess, to get used to it fully.

Although Tsunoda acknowledges his progress and growing confidence, he admits that pushing the car to its limits in qualifying has been a new experience. He attributes some of his struggles to unfamiliar car behavior during qualifying sessions. “In qualifying, most of the time so far, I experienced a new kind of behavior from my car and just not able to sometimes cope with it.

The Challenges of Sharing a Team with Max Verstappen

Tsunoda has taken on one of the toughest jobs in F1 – being team-mate to four-time world champion Max Verstappen. Many drivers have struggled to adapt to Verstappen’s unique driving style, and Red Bull’s machinery has added to the challenge due to discrepancies between the track and the team’s wind tunnel.

Tsunoda, however, remains optimistic about his experience with Red Bull, describing the car as “not easy, for sure, [but] not complicated to drive around.” He notes that the RB21 is more forgiving than he initially anticipated.

The Road Ahead for Yuki Tsunoda

Despite being off the pace compared to Verstappen, Tsunoda continues to learn and adapt. He scored his first points for Red Bull with a ninth-place finish in Bahrain but crashed out a week later in Saudi Arabia. As he prepares for his fourth race with Red Bull, Tsunoda is focused on identifying areas for improvement to better understand the car.

Sometimes you just have to accept the kind of difficulties of the car,” Tsunoda said. “Sometimes if you’re feeling kind of a little oversteer, a little understeer, if still lap time is good, just probably stick to the direction.