Yuki Tsunoda has made his debut in a modern Red Bull Formula 1 car at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi as he aims to stake his claim to a race drive with the team.
Tsunoda’s appearance in the RB20 comes as Red Bull is poised to have an available seat amid rumours that the team has decided to drop the struggling Sergio Perez.
But while RB team-mate Liam Lawson is regarded as the main candidate to replace Perez, Tsunoda has expressed hope he can prove his worth to Red Bull in this test.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he admitted. “It’s the first time I’m driving a different car, and it’s still in a similar group, but the car will be much different.
“I’m excited, obviously I’ll enjoy it, but at the same time, I’m fully focused.
“Obviously something after this disappointing race [Tsunoda came 12th in Abu Dhabi], it’s good that it’s something I can look forward to.
“I hope I can give them feedback that they can benefit from something for the future. I’m fully focused on that.”
He added: “I want to do what they asked, with 100 per cent performance.
“Even though I didn’t get the performance or run plan, I can do other things that maybe I can impress them.”
Tsunoda samples Red Bull RB20
The annual outing that succeeds the final race at the Yas Marina Circuit has seen teams permitted to run two cars compared to the usual one as was the case before.
Tsunoda’s status as a permanent driver on the grid will see him conduct laps on Pirelli’s 2025 compounds, with each side being given 10 sets from the Italian marque.
The Japanese driver’s opening morning in the Red Bull ended with him having completed 75 laps, posting a best time of 1:25.568s to end up 11th on the leaderboard.
Meanwhile, the second car that the teams run must have a rookie behind the wheel using the tyres from 2024, with Isack Hadjar piloting the RB20 alongside Tsunoda.
The Frenchman is expected to step up to the second RB seat to partner Tsunoda in the circumstance where Perez is axed and Lawson lands a coveted Red Bull move.
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