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‘It can’t get crazier than this’ – Tsunoda on his Red Bull promotion, new team mate Verstappen and the ‘complete unknown’ he faces at Suzuka
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Yuki Tsunoda was the star of the show as Red Bull staged a series of demo runs on the streets of Tokyo on Wednesday – the newly promoted racer showing off his fresh colours to a passionate home crowd before this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
When his various stints at the wheel were complete, F1.com caught up with the 24-year-old to discuss the biggest step in his Formula 1 career to date, what relations are like with new team mate Max Verstappen, how he rates his home race chances and more…
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Tsunoda steals the show
It’s just past midday when cheers erupt around a specially designed street course in the port area of Japan’s capital. Not only has Tsunoda arrived in town, waving to thousands of delirious fans with a huge grin on his face, but Red Bull are about to let him loose in some rather special cars.
Flanked by the aforementioned Verstappen, as well as the demoted Liam Lawson and continuing Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar, it is the latest development in a remarkable week for Tsunoda, who will finally make his debut for the senior team at Suzuka.
Yuki Tsunoda was the star of the show as Red Bull staged a series of demo runs
Indeed, a little over four seasons into his F1 career, Tsunoda has moved from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing for his home Grand Prix weekend, taking Lawson’s place after the New Zealander experienced two challenging events in the hot seat.
So, how did Tsunoda feel when he donned Red Bull’s race suit and hit the (temporary) track in Red Bull machinery – on his home soil, to boot – as a fully-fledged Red Bull driver?
“I mean, I feel like I’ve gone back to F2 right now!” the feeder series race winner tells F1.com with a chuckle, when asked to reflect on the day. “I used to wear this nice dark blue kit in F2 and had a lot of success there.
“Still, [with Red Bull’s special Suzuka livery], apparently I’m going to wear a white suit again, so I can’t get rid of white suits that quickly! But I’m very excited [about the step up] and I’m feeling very motivated.”
Cool and confident
Tsunoda cut a confident figure in and out of the car throughout the Tokyo show run, his on-track efforts particularly eye-catching when he sampled Red Bull’s RB7 challenger, which claimed both world titles in 2011 thanks to Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
Building up huge speed on the straights, throwing the car into the hairpins and giving it full beans on the exits only added to the excitement in the crowd, while suggesting that Tsunoda is ready to give his Red Bull chance everything he has got from the outset.
Liam Lawson replaced by Yuki Tsunoda
“It can’t get crazier than this situation,” he continues, when asked about that apparent confidence, and how good he is feeling after a stellar start to 2025 with Red Bull’s sister team. “I’m sure there’s a lot of pressure from Red Bull, this home Grand Prix, but I think the only thing I can do is enjoy [it] for now.
“If I feel 100% comfortable with the car, and understand the car, I think the result will come automatically. I just can’t wait to get on the track as soon as possible and feel the car from Free Practice 1.
“I’m sure it won’t be easy, it’s very time limited [with the on-track sessions], but I just have to do as much as possible to give the feedback and make it work – and for now, I’m feeling pretty good confidence.”
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A busy week at base
With little time between Red Bull’s decision to swap drivers post-China and the third round of the season in Japan, and the fact that Tsunoda’s team debut is coming amid the furore of his home event, how much useful preparation has he been able to get under his belt?
“Just about two days,” he admits, pointing to some sessions in the simulator at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes, England. “I had a lot of promotion [activities] planned between China and Japan, and I had to cancel a couple of things.
Tsunoda and Verstappen were joined in the show run by Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar and the returning Liam Lawson
“I think [with] the preparation that we’ve done, we’ve maximised it at least. If you ask me if it’s enough, I don’t know. I can’t really say confidently ‘yes’, but at least I know that it was a very, very productive two days.
“We tried a lot of set-ups [in the simulator] and we found a direction we want to go in, to start [with] at least. FP1 I’m really excited [about], how the car behaves.”
It begs a follow up of exactly how Red Bull’s RB21 package felt to him in the virtual world, given the squad’s admission that their latest designs have been handfuls to drive and Lawson’s major struggles in Australia and China – as well as Tsunoda’s conversely positive comments after jumping in the RB20 at last year’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
“The difference is that last year’s car I drove in the real track, but this time it was the simulator, and the simulator is always quite easy to handle the car more comfortably,” he explains. “You don’t really necessarily need confidence, right?
“It’s a bit of a difference there. I was expecting a lot more trickiness, because of how Liam struggled. I’m sure it’s still going to be very challenging – it’s a lot different car to the RB, Racings Bulls. I just need to take it easy and feel the car.”
Tsunoda has had a busy week trying to get prepared for his first race weekend with Red Bull
Working with Verstappen
One man mastering that car-related challenge is reigning four-time World Champion Verstappen, who has driven his way through Red Bull’s recent issues and provided a huge test for Lawson and the likes of Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon – who all lost their seats while battling to keep pace with the Dutchman.
Tsunoda spent some time with Verstappen before, during and after Wednesday’s track runs, including another standout moment when he was driven around the track by the Dutchman in a prototype Honda road car – the pair sharing laughs and waving to screaming spectators.
Asked about that particular sequence, and how their rapport is developing, Tsunoda joked: “Yeah, he can be a really good Uber driver! I gave him five stars, obviously, after the ride.
Tsunoda starts a new chapter with Verstappen as his team mate
“I mean, we have a good relationship already from the first year [together in the] Red Bull [family]. He’s a really, really nice guy. I can’t wait [to drive alongside him]. He’s one of the best drivers… the best driver probably on the current grid.
“I’ll just learn as much as possible from him, how he’s driving, how he’s able to extract the performance from the car, so let’s see [what happens].”
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Before the conversation wraps up, can Tsunoda tell us more about what he thinks might happen when cars hit the track at the figure-of-eight Suzuka track in a day’s time?
“Friday is a complete unknown,” he comments, unwilling to set out a specific target. “Normally, you have a bit of expectation, but for me, I really, really don’t have anything. [I will] just drive, do laps, and hopefully I’ll be up there!”
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