Yuki Tsunoda Shares His Initial Experiences with the RB21 on the Race Track

After replacing rookie Liam Lawson at Red Bull Racing, following two race weekends, Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda has shared his unique insights about driving the RB21 for the first time on a real track.

Differences Between Simulator Runs and Real-Life Experience

Contrasting his previous simulator runs with the actual experience, Tsunoda admitted that the RB21 felt different in reality. During the drivers’ press conference at Suzuka, he commented: “The car didn’t feel ‘crazy tricky’ in the simulator. However, I could sense what the drivers mentioned about its instability or lack of driving confidence.

In preparation for the race weekend, Tsunoda had tried multiple setups to improve the car’s performance. He found those two days productive and felt that he had a good baseline for overall performance.

First Impressions on the Suzuka Circuit

Speaking to Motorsport.com and other media, Tsunoda expressed his feelings about driving the RB21 on the Suzuka circuit for the first time. “It’s a bit different to the simulator, what I felt, to be honest,” he said. “I knew it would always be different in the real car, but it was a little more exaggerated than I expected.

In FP1, Tsunoda clocked the sixth fastest time, trailing his new teammate Max Verstappen by approximately 0.1 seconds. However, FP2 saw him down in 18th due to several disruptions. Jack Doohan’s crash at Turn 1 caused a red flag, followed by Fernando Alonso spinning out onto the gravel. The session was further halted when patches of grass beside the track caught fire towards the end of the hour-long session.

Tomorrow, Tsunoda will have one more practice session before the crucial qualifying in the afternoon.