Analyzing Yuki Tsunoda’s Performance Issues in the Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull Racing’s new recruit, Yuki Tsunoda, faced a challenging debut with his home crowd during the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend. Despite the excitement and pressure, Tsunoda finished the race in twelfth position, while his teammate, Max Verstappen, secured his first victory of the season. Pierre Gasly, who previously raced alongside Tsunoda at AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) in 2021 and 2022, believes a “set-up decision” may have hindered Tsunoda’s performance in Japan.

The Impact of Set-Up Decisions on Performance

In an interview with Motorsport.com and other media outlets in Bahrain, Gasly expressed his thoughts on Tsunoda’s performance. “I think he made a set-up decision that didn’t really play in his favor,” Gasly said. He further explained that during the initial stages of the race, Tsunoda was not able to close the gap between them significantly, despite Gasly not being the fastest driver on the straights. This leads Gasly to question whether Tsunoda’s setup choice was beneficial for his performance.

Recognizing the potential areas for improvement, Tsunoda himself has expressed his eagerness to make progress this weekend in Bahrain. “I am looking forward to being in Bahrain this weekend and having time to fully focus on racing with my Team,” Tsunoda said in Red Bull’s race preview. He acknowledged the hectic build-up of his home race in Japan and is eager for a quieter week in Bahrain to better understand the car, work closely with his team, and settle into life with Oracle Red Bull Racing.

Tsunoda emphasized that improving his understanding of the tyre preparation could help him position the car more effectively for race day, ultimately leading to better results and performance that he believes the team is capable of achieving. With a quieter week ahead in Bahrain, fans and enthusiasts will be eager to see how Tsunoda fares and if he can indeed pick up the pace over the next few weeks.