Yuki Tsunoda came away from the 2025 F1 Bahrain GP with a points finish despite facing several challenges throughout the race, including pit stop issues and a collision with former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
The Japanese Red Bull driver finished ninth in a race dominated by Oscar Piastri, who secured a lights-to-flag victory in his 50th start for McLaren, ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris.
Issues with the pit stop
Tsunoda was one of several drivers affected by apparent issues with Red Bull’s pit stop light system, something that also troubled his teammate Max Verstappen during the race.
“Yeah, I mean, kind of two stops in a row. Maybe also in Max’s head as well,” Tsunoda commented in the print media zone after the race. “But it’s a bit unusual for the [Red Bull] team that they’re normally good at pit stops. So I don’t know what’s going on, to be honest.”
A notable moment in Tsunoda’s race came during his battle with Carlos Sainz, which resulted in small contact and ultimately contributed to the Williams driver’s retirement from the race as his sidepod had a huge hole in it. Debris from their clash at turn two on lap 30 even brought out the Safety Car.
A collision with Sainz during the F1 Bahrain GP
When questioned about the incident, Tsunoda explained, “Well, the thing is, I didn’t feel in the car that I touched him.
“I had to confirm the moment when we touched but what I’m thinking is that when he came towards me into Turn 1 and also that moment I had wheelspin, so I kind of avoided it.
“Maybe at that point my rear tyre and his sideboards touched, but the thing is, I didn’t feel in the car that I touched. So I didn’t also have a big vibration afterwards, but I thought that came from like a pickup or whatever. So in the end, I know that damage from the damaged wheels.”
Despite the collision with Sainz, Tsunoda escaped a penalty, though he admitted there was another incident between them a lap later. “On another occasion, we had another contact. And my front wheel, I guess, and his rear tyre had a contact,” explained Tsunoda. “And after that, I had a bit of damage. It didn’t affect my reliability to continue the race, but it affected a lot of balance. And it was pretty bad. That also caused a bit of a pace afterwards.”
Adapting to the Red Bull
Having moved from VCARB (Racing Bulls), Tsunoda spoke about the challenges of adapting to the Red Bull car’s characteristics, after the F1 Bahrain GP.
“It’s not the same, really. The thing is, to be in the window that the car performs, VCARB has a much wider range. So whatever you do, almost, that car is able to operate quite well with any kind of balance. But Red Bull has probably a specific kind of set-up. And the window, the tyre ones, and everything.
“That narrow window is really hard to find. That kind of difference, for me, is quite big. Because I never thought about warm-up. And how to warm-up. And set-up. So those sort of stuff. Currently, it’s the most difficult part to learn.”
Tsunoda on his confidence and progress with Red Bull after F1 Bahrain GP
Despite the challenges, Tsunoda remained positive about his performance and the points finish.
“I still take it with these first points in the second race and I think the progress I’m having is in the right direction so I’m happy with that,” he said. “You know, yeah, quite eventful race with a couple of issues with the pit stop and the other things, but yeah, I mean, just have to learn from it and make it better.”
Regarding his confidence with the car, Tsunoda added, “Confidence for the car, like I said, I think it’s quite good. I just have to understand about this car more. To operate in the window this car wants. And that’s the most difficult part. Those things will come with experience. Just experience, really.
“I won’t rush it. But so far, I’m happy with how fast I’m able to progress.”
