Yuki Tsunoda has set his sights on a podium finish at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix after securing a surprise promotion to Red Bull for the remainder of the 2025 Formula 1 season. Ahead of the Japanese GP, the Japanese driver acknowledged the immense challenge ahead but embraced the pressure of making his debut for the team at his home circuit in Suzuka.
A call-up to Red Bull
As speculated during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull confirmed Tsunoda’s promotion on Thursday, replacing Liam Lawson after two challenging races in Melbourne and Shanghai. Despite spending four years with Red Bull’s junior team, Tsunoda admitted he had doubts about whether he would ever be given the opportunity to race for the senior squad. However, an impressive start to the 2025 season has earned him the call-up just in time for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Speaking at a Honda event in Aoyama, as reported by Motorsport.com, Tsunoda described the move as “unreal” and expressed his excitement at the timing of his promotion.
“To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix,” Tsunoda said. “This is the final year of Red Bull and Honda’s partnership, so getting to race in Suzuka as a Red Bull Racing driver feels like fate. Everything has fallen into place in just the right way for me to be standing here today.”
Tsunoda targets his first F1 podium with Red Bull
Despite the abrupt transition, Tsunoda remains ambitious about his first outing in Red Bull colours and has openly stated his desire to fight for a podium finish.
“I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium. That said, I know it won’t be easy right from the start,” he admitted.
His primary focus, however, is understanding the RB21 and adapting to its characteristics.
“My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB. If I can naturally enjoy driving it as I get familiar with it in FP1, then the results will follow. And if that leads to a podium finish, that would be incredible.”
Embracing the pressure of Red Bull Racing
Tsunoda has yet to drive the RB21 on track, making his debut at his home race a daunting task. However, he is embracing the high expectations and the intense scrutiny that comes with a Red Bull seat.
“When I first got the call, I thought: ‘Wow, this is going to be interesting,'” he said. “More than anything, I’m excited about the challenge ahead.”
Acknowledging the whirlwind of preparations since the announcement, Tsunoda revealed that he barely had time to process the excitement.
“At first, I was too busy to even take the time to fully appreciate the excitement. I had to jump straight into the simulator, do seat fittings, and take care of a lot of other preparations.”
Reflecting on his initial seat fitting for Red Bull earlier in the year, he recalled, “Since I was a reserve driver this year, I had already done a seat fitting before. But back then, I remember thinking: ‘Why am I even doing this? I’m not going to be racing anyway.'”
First impressions of the RB21
Having spent two days in Red Bull’s simulator, Tsunoda shared his first impressions of the car’s handling.
“I spent about two days in the simulator. From that experience, I didn’t find the car to be that challenging to drive,” he explained. “I definitely got the impression that the front-end is very responsive, as people often say. But if you ask whether it felt tricky to handle, I wouldn’t say it gave me a particularly strange feeling, at least in the simulator.”
While acknowledging that his setup preferences may differ from his new teammate Max Verstappen’s, Tsunoda is keen to develop a setup that suits his driving style.
“Of course, how I want to set up the car is probably different from Max. I want to develop my own car set-up, get a good understanding of it, and gradually get up to speed from FP1.”
As he prepares for his Red Bull debut, Tsunoda remains focused on delivering a strong performance while handling the added expectations.
In a lighthearted moment during the Honda event, when his mentor Ryo Michigami suggested not putting too much pressure on him, Tsunoda quipped, “Yes, please pile on the expectations and pressure!”
