All eyes were on Yuki Tsunoda last weekend as he made his Red Bull debut at his home race in Japan. Expectations weren’t too high, given that his predecessor, Liam Lawson, was dropped after just two races due to his struggles with the RB21. Tsunoda, however, started off surprisingly well.
In the two full race weekends Lawson competed in with Red Bull, he was knocked out in Q1 both times (and also once in Sprint Q1). Tsunoda, at least, cleared that hurdle—and in terms of pace, he wasn’t too far off teammate Max Verstappen.
The Japanese driver was just a tenth slower than Verstappen in Q1 but faltered in the next part of qualifying, finishing a disappointing 15th. In the race, Tsunoda managed to gain only three places to finish P12. In stark contrast, Verstappen qualified on pole and converted it into a win.
So why did Tsunoda’s promising start at Red Bull begin to unravel? Naomi Schiff explains.
“I think qualifying was the one place where he didn’t necessarily deliver, but let’s not forget, we had a curtailed session in FP2, he didn’t put in a lap,” the F1 expert said on the Sky Sports F1 podcast.
The second practice session in Suzuka was heavily disrupted, with four red flags caused by crashes and cars getting stuck in the gravel traps. For Tsunoda—who was looking to get accustomed to the Red Bull machinery—not being able to complete even a single lap proved disastrous.
“FP3, he was right there again, so he actually did hit the ground running, but with having strapped on as much downforce as he has, he’s compromised the setup, and I don’t know if it would have paid off,” Schiff added.
レッドブルでのデビュー戦は12位でした。正直限られた時間の中でのパフォーマンスは予想以上だったのですが、やっぱり年に一度のホームグランプリでq3とポイントはとりたかった今まで以上のサポートとエネルギーを送ってくれた皆様に感謝しています！ものすごく楽しかったです
first race in the… pic.twitter.com/NQODOVK2Hy— 角田裕毅/Yuki Tsunoda (@yukitsunoda07) April 7, 2025
Schiff also felt that Tsunoda played it safe by choosing a lower downforce setup to feel more comfortable, a decision that former world champion Jacques Villeneuve heavily criticized.
“You said something right, he played it safe. And playing it safe is never fast,” he explained. “You can be there in the middle, but that’s not how you race at the front like Max does“.
Tsunoda happy with his performance but not the result
Tsunoda came into the Japanese GP with hopes of finishing on the podium—an ambitious target. But to not even score points was a major disappointment for the 24-year-old.
The Red Bull driver had spent hours on the simulator, and in one of his interviews ahead of the weekend, he claimed to be comfortable with the RB21. “On the simulator, I did not find it such a challenging car…” he said.
However, reality hit hard once the real action began. And although his performance was certainly better than what Lawson had shown in his two outings earlier in the season, a P12 finish was far from the debut Tsunoda had envisioned. He addressed this after the race.
“I am happy with my performance, but in terms of the result, it’s quite tough. I wanted to finish in the points. I was expecting more in my home Grand Prix, so it’s a mixed feeling. I am learning and gaining more confidence in the car. I felt more in control towards the end of the race.”
Your votes are in! ️
It’s Yuki Tsunoda who is @salesforce Driver of the Day at the Japanese Grand Prix #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/vjjFCDeQb4
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025
Tsunoda added that if he had just one more qualifying session under his belt, the result might have been different. And he’s probably right—Suzuka is notoriously difficult to overtake on due to its narrow layout and flowing corners.
Having acknowledged that he now understands what needs to be done to improve in qualifying, expectations will be higher for Tsunoda to deliver a stronger performance in Bahrain later this week.
