On his first Sunday as an official Red Bull Racing driver after the Milton Keynes outfit demoted Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda took the chequered flag in twelfth place in the presence of his home crowd at the F1 Japanese GP.
Earlier in the weekend, the Japanese driver clocked encouraging lap times in the first and third practice sessions and was not far off the pace of four-time world champion Max Verstappen. However, he couldn’t maximise his potential in qualifying and registered a Q2 exit after failing to warm up his tyres well enough on the prep lap.
Starting from fourteenth on the grid following Carlos Sainz’s three-place grid penalty, Tsunoda moved past Lawson and Pierre Gasly to cross the line in P12. Despite aiming for a podium on his Red Bull debut, the 24-year-old was left with mixed feelings after coming home 58 seconds behind his race-winning teammate.
Inaccurate wet set-up compromised Tsunoda’s race on Sunday
Speaking in a print media zone afterwards, Tsunoda addressed how the 53 laps unfolded for him at the tricky F1 Japanese GP. Revealing that he had set his RB21 up for the rain, the newest Red Bull Racing recruit rued the absence of precipitation and how the inaccurate set-up hampered his progress in the race.
On a track where overtaking is deemed really challenging, Tsunoda also explained that the lack of tyre degradation at the recently resurfaced Suzuka International Circuit contributed to the fairly uneventful race that transpired on Sunday.
Despite the underwhelming outcome, the Japanese driver added that he has gained more understanding of the capricious RB21 and that he is optimistic about extracting more performance in Bahrain.
“In terms of the set-up itself, it was more towards the rain, which didn’t happen. That was a bit unfortunate.
“I knew it was going to be tough overtaking, and I was expecting, if the situation like tyre degradation was massive, it could be a really good situation. But the degradation was zero.
“So everything was probably not towards me. But at the same time, I learned a lot of things about the car. These decent 52 laps are the first time I’ve got, so I’m excited for the next race.”
Why Tsunoda decided against changing the higher downforce rear wing after FP3
Gearing his RB21 up for wet conditions, Tsunoda also ran a higher level of downforce in comparison to Verstappen throughout the race weekend in Suzuka. The Dutchman’s car sported a noticeably smaller rear wing, rendering it more unstable but also generating more top speed.
Asked if he could live with a similar set-up in the future, the 24-year-old revealed that he had considered swapping the rear wing after the third practice session.
Nevertheless, Tsunoda elaborated that the multiple red flags interrupting the sessions, the lack of a consistent car due to substantial experimentation with the set-up, and the possibility of rain made him stick with the familiar rear wing he started the weekend with at the F1 Japanese GP.
“Yes, I think so.
“To be honest, after FP3 I was considering going lower, as much as Max [Verstappen]. But, I didn’t have much time because of fire, red flag, whatever. And also, we were changing a lot of setups. I never had a consistent car, consistent laps.
“So yeah, I thought I just wanted to keep it the same car. It’s a qualifying race, because there was a chance for rain, I just wanted to have a consistent car.
“But if I have the exact same Grand Prix, I’d go a different way.”
More progress than expected
With regard to whether he is encouraged by the flashes of potential despite the disappointing end to the race weekend in Japan, Tsunoda stated that he has progressed far more than he anticipated. He also claimed that he has gained enough confidence to deliver a better result in qualifying the next time around.
“Yes, in terms of progress I’ve had this week, it’s far more than expected, to be honest. I just keep doing what I’m doing.
“Like I said, 52 laps was very big for me. In terms of confidence level, it’s completely different compared to what I started with in FP1 this weekend.
“I’m sure if I had another qualifying, it would be a little bit different.
“It’s too late, I don’t have any more. I just have to do better in the next race.”
More than top five is Tsunoda’s target for next Japanese GP
Regarding the 2025 F1 Japanese GP weekend reportedly attracting the biggest attendance at the Suzuka Circuit since 2006 and whether he was impressed by his home crowd, Tsunoda stated that he was grateful for their support. At the same time, he confessed that he was frustrated because he couldn’t live up to their expectations and finish in the top ten on his home turf.
Nonetheless, Tsunoda commented that he intends to be in better form and hopefully make it to the podium the next time he hits the track at the Japanese GP.
“The amount of people I saw this weekend was massive. More than any years I saw.
“Thank you to them. That’s why I feel very frustrated and disappointed I didn’t get to score points. It is what it is.
“Next time when I come to this Grand Prix, I’ll just be in better shape. Hopefully, I can aim for more than the top five.”
