Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda will make their first appearance together as teammates in Suzuka this weekend. For both drivers, the Japanese circuit is unique. Verstappen won his second world championship there, while it’s Tsunoda’s home track, a circuit he thinks he knows the most.
Ever since Tsunoda took the reins at Racing Bull after Pierre Gasly left, he has outclassed all his teammates. Meanwhile, Verstappen is the perfect example of who any driver should avoid as one’s teammate. But when it comes to Suzuka, both have impressive records at this circuit.
And now, with both set to be sparring partners in Suzuka, Natalie Pinkham reveals their exceptional records in Japan: “Yuki has never been outperformed by his teammate at Suzuka.” Whereas coming to Verstappen, she revealed that he “has never been outperformed in qualifying in all the races at Suzuka since 2019.”
With both drivers now teammates, Pinkham points out, “One of those stats is going to be broken this weekend.” It’s easy to say that Verstappen has a mighty edge over Tsunoda in preserving his six-year-old record, as it’s widely accepted that the current generation of cars is oriented toward the Dutchman’s driving style.
But the good news for Tsunoda is that nobody expects him to outperform Verstappen this season, so there is no pressure for the first race, even if it’s at his home. The biggest expectation of Tsunoda would be not to get the car knocked out in Q1 like his predecessor.
a Kabuki-inspired lid for my home grand prix
歌舞伎！！ pic.twitter.com/KC5f6QiFr0— 角田裕毅/Yuki Tsunoda (@yukitsunoda07) April 1, 2025
That said, his first race as a Red Bull driver in Japan would be special after he was mostly snubbed by his bosses for the big role over the recent years. Luckily, Honda’s massive support made this possible.
Tsunoda’s time to shine
The opportunity came to Tsunoda after Honda reportedly paid a whopping $21.5 million to Red Bull. What made the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s decision easier was that they lost confidence in Lawson after the New Zealander got knocked out of all three Q1/SQ1 sessions so far.
While Red Bull just gave Lawson two races to showcase his potential, Tsunoda will most likely have the benefit of the rest of the season. Even if Red Bull loses its patience too quickly, there is no other driver more prepared than Tsunoda in the pipeline.
Moreover, it will further raise the question of Red Bull’s management if they do not give Tsunoda a sufficient amount of time to settle in. So, in short, Tsunoda will have ample opportunities, and if he meets Red Bull’s expectations, then he could cement his place on the team without Honda’s support, who are leaving to join forces with Aston Martin next year.
