On Sunday, Yuki Tsunoda addressed the press for the first time since his promotion to Red Bull. Last week, it was announced that the Japanese driver would finally make the move to the main team after more than four years with Racing Bulls. Liam Lawson had to step down after two disappointing Grands Prix. Tsunoda doesn’t want to set his sights too high, but he does dream of a podium finish at his home race in Suzuka.
During an event with lifelong sponsor Honda in Tokyo, Tsunoda shared his enthusiasm about his promotion to Red Bull. “I don’t want to set my expectations too high, but of course I want to be on the podium at the Japanese GP,” he told the media present. “However, I don’t think it will go that well from the start. I first need to understand the car and gradually discover how it compares to that of Racing Bulls.”
“As soon as I feel more comfortable and can enjoy the car, I think the results will follow quickly,” he continued. “If that means I’ll be on the podium, that would be fantastic.” The 24-year-old driver admitted that he was surprised that he was allowed to take over the Red Bull seat so quickly. At the end of last year, he was still passed over in favor of his then teammate Lawson.
‘I thought: Wow, this is going to be interesting’
“I never thought I would be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese GP,” he explained. “Of course, I’m happy, but I also feel that the team is changing. Initially, it didn’t seem realistic at all that I would be driving for Red Bull now. When I first heard it, I thought: ‘Wow, this is going to be interesting.’ I don’t think I’ve ever been in a more tense and challenging situation. It’s undoubtedly going to be an exciting race.”
The question is whether Tsunoda will be able to handle the Red Bull RB21. The Austrian team’s cars are known to be difficult to drive. Tsunoda found his first simulator tests not ‘strange’, but admitted that he would like to make some adjustments to make the car better suit his driving style. “In the simulator, I didn’t find it such a challenging car,” he explained. “Of course, it behaves differently in certain areas, but that didn’t feel very strange. I just want to make it a car that is different from Max Verstappen’s, so I can slowly understand it better.”
