Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda completes his first two sessions for Red Bull Racing at the driver’s home race, the F1 Japanese GP on Friday. Tsunoda joins the Red Bull team as a result of Liam Lawson’s demotion after just two races.
Positive outing in FP1
Tsunoda logged 25 laps in the Red Bull car, debuting their special white Honda livery for the Japanese GP.
The Japanese driver had an encouraging session, finishing in P6 only .107 seconds behind new teammate Max Verstappen in P5. Tsunoda talked to the media after the session, feeling encouraged by his top-ten result.
“FP1 was better than expected. A good start for myself.”
Recently deposed, former Red Bull rookie Liam Lawson finished the session in P13 in his Racing Bulls car. Lawson’s fellow rookie teammate Isack Hadjar finished P8 in FP1.
Unremarkable FP2
The Japanese driver failed to set a competitive lap in his FP2 session, finishing P18 2.5 seconds back from session leader Oscar Piastri.
Tsunoda is working to settle into his new car after his sudden promotion to the Red Bull team following the Chinese GP. Talking to the media, he shared that he still has improvements to make.
“FP2, I didn’t set a lap time. I think there is still a lot of work to do. Maybe I slightly struggled or there is something we have to look at more in the data from FP2 but so far, overall, it’s ok. I just have to build up the confidence a bit more.”
Adjusting to the tricky RB21
Tsunoda has been busy in the simulator trying to learn the most he can about the car ahead of the Japanese GP.
“It’s a bit different to the simulator, what I felt, to be honest. Maybe a little bit more than I expected in terms of car feeling.”
In his two race weekends in the RB21, Lawson struggled to find his footing in the car. The New Zealander failed to crack the top ten in any session with the Red Bull team. The 2025 Red Bull appears to be a difficult car to grapple with. Tsunoda stated he struggled with it, too, in his interview.
“I knew that it is always a bit different in the real car and it was just a little bit more exaggerated in the real car and felt a bit more tricky.”
Tsunoda’s Friday sessions should instill confidence in the Japanese driver for the Red Bull team. However, naturally, there is still work to do.
“We have a lot of homework to do on our side just to focus on the car. But I think everything worked out well.”
