No driver was as excited for the Japanese GP as Yuki Tsunoda was. In the form of his life, the Japanese driver wanted to put up a show in front of his home fans, and he did exactly that. Tsunoda’s race weekend was flawless, as he maximized V-CARB’s performance, finishing P10. Red Bull chief Helmut Marko, who has praised Tsunoda several times this season already, feels he was at the same level as Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso in Suzuka.
Tsunoda knows the Suzuka International Circuit very well, with it being a venue he drove on a lot growing up. This is visible in his driving, as he looked incredibly comfortable pulling off moves around the circuit, where no one else could. Marko took note of this and wrote a column on SpeedWeek.
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“His weekend was flawless, at the level of Max, Alonso, and Co. A great performance under the pressure of his home race”, said Marko.
Marko then also highlighted Tsunoda’s launch when the race restarted after the first-lap red flag. He felt that the overtakes Tsunoda made were the “highlight” of the Grand Prix, helping Red Bull’s sister team earn another valuable point this early on in the season.
Tsunoda will be oozing with confidence right now, especially since this P10 finish follows a P7 finish in Melbourne three weeks ago. With him eyeing a seat at Red Bull in the future, Marko’s vote of confidence could go a long way in ensuring that happens.
Yuki Tsunoda caps off good Japanese GP weekend for Red Bull
For Red Bull as a team, the Japanese GP was a huge success. They suffered a hiccup with Max Verstappen’s DNF in Melbourne but bounced back well to ensure the Dutchman brought home the team’s third 1-2 of the season.
Down at V-CARB too, the main aim heading into the Japanese GP was points. Tsunoda’s P10 finish made that happen, capping off a successful weekend for the team. One Red Bull-associated driver, however, suffered a disaster class – Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo, who is already having a woeful start to the 2024 campaign, collided with Alex Albon on lap 1, which ended both their races. That is what brought the red flag out in the first place, allowing Tsunoda to make those moves Marko pointed out.
