Yuki Tsunoda’s Controversial Debut with Red Bull: A Mixed Bag of Results

In his debut qualifying session with Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda delivered a mix of promising and disappointing results. The young driver showcased impressive pace in Q1 but faltered in Q2, securing a 15th position on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Adapting to the Challenges of RB21

Despite his disappointment with his performance this Saturday, Tsunoda is gradually adapting to the demanding and complex RB21. Red Bull made a bold move by replacing Liam Lawson with Tsunoda after just two race weekends, and so far, it appears that the Japanese driver is performing better behind the wheel of the Milton Keynes machinery than his Kiwi predecessor.

Q1 felt pretty good,” Tsunoda explained after qualifying. “I just missed the window, I guess. The window that this car can operate in is very narrow, and the warm-up, probably most things have to almost be perfect, especially the warm-up.” He continued, “And especially Q2 run 2, I wasn’t able to do the warm-up I wanted as a previous run, so that makes a big difference in the end.

Navigating the RB21’s Operating Window

The narrow operating window of the RB21 has been a known issue that the team has been working to address since the 2024 season. Team principal Christian Horner has acknowledged this shortcoming, and Max Verstappen – despite securing pole position today – has previously complained about this behavior.

When asked if the red flag disrupted his momentum, Tsunoda was more focused on his warm-up strategy. “Yeah, I mean, same for everyone, so yeah, I think it’s not that, it’s just… Yeah, just warm up I guess and I don’t know, I had quite a big gusts in turn 2, quite big moments I had, which were a bit unexpected. So I had to look through what’s happened there, but at least I saw a good pace in Q1, and I feel like I have confidence in the car.

Learning Curve for Tsunoda

Missing out on crucial experience in the car due to numerous red flags during this Grand Prix weekend hasn’t been ideal for Tsunoda, who is still getting accustomed to his new workplace. “So I finished the Q2 with reading the whole textbook finally about the Red Bull,” he said. “FP2 was such a limited time I had, and FP3 I was able to give a bit of pace. Q1, I felt pretty good and confident, but Q2 just something that I didn’t expect to happen, and that new thing came out, so yeah.

Tsunoda remains optimistic, “I’m sure if I have one more round, it’ll be different, but it is what it is, you don’t always put it all together when it matters.