After years of waiting, amid advice from Pierre Gasly and Sergio Perez, Yuki Tsunoda is preparing for his debut with Red Bull at Suzuka while trying to come to terms with an RB21 that seems to speak exclusively the language of Max Verstappen.
At Suzuka, everything is now ready to welcome home driver Yuki Tsunoda in the guise of a Red Bull driver. It dates back to last week, in fact, one of the first announcements of the year that shook the paddock, the one regarding the seat swap between the Japanese driver and Liam Lawson, confirming rumors of Tsunoda’s promotion and subsequent relegation to Racing Bulls for the New Zealander.
There was no shortage of criticism of Milton Keyens’ management of the team, including that of former driver Giedo van der Garde, who called Christian Horner’s choice “more an act of bullying than an objective assessment.” However, this is: Yuki Tsunoda will make his Red Bull debut during the Japanese Grand Prix, at home.
A goal achieved after years of patience and which now, on the Suzuka track in the shadow of the cherry blossoms, will finally be able to materialize for the number 22, who will try to do everything he can to win the first podium of his career under the proud gaze of his compatriots.
During the press conference opening the weekend, Yuki Tsunoda talked about how he would receive the call from Red Bull’s team principal, without going into too much detail: “I first got the call from Christian Horner after China, telling me to get ready because things might change a bit.This was between Monday and Tuesday.I was in the UK to prepare for Suzuka-it was already planned “.
“I did a simulator session with Red Bull Racing, at that time just as a precaution. After two or three days in the UK, he confirmed it to me in person.So that was more or less the route. I can’t say exactly when, but that was the sequence of events “.
“I received a message from Pierre (Gasly, ed.)“-the new Red Bull driver continued-”He wanted to talk to me about his experience in Red Bull, what he should have done differently, and he wanted to share some ideas that might be useful for me in the next races with Red Bull. It was very kind of him and his advice was really helpful. I also received support from Checo. All the drivers in the Red Bull family sent me messages of encouragement. Pierre and Checo have been especially supportive and I really appreciate that. They are drivers I respect a lot, so I am very happy “.
Speaking, however, about his new teammate and the difficulties that seem to be affecting Red Bull’s second seat, Tsunoda admitted that he does not expect any kind of support from Max Verstappen stating how the goal will be to get in tune with the RB21 starting with data analysis and studying the Dutchman’s driving style, a job to be done together with his engineering team.
““So far they have been very helpful.My engineer has already given me some insights into what characteristics make the car difficult to drive and where the lack of confidence comes from.That information is already well fixed in my head and everything is quite clear.
So we will see how it goes after FP1, ” Tsunoda concluded.
The stopwatch that will mark the start of the first free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix, therefore, will start at 04:30 (Italian time) tomorrow, Friday, April 04, marking the beginning of a new part of this year’s Formula 1 championship.
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing, FIA.
