Yuki Tsunoda has expressed that he is embracing the pressure attached to a Red Bull seat in Formula 1 as he sets his sights on a podium in the Japanese Grand Prix.
Tsunoda has received his long-awaited chance with the parent Red Bull setup as Liam Lawson’s struggles in the opening two rounds have prompted a straight switch.
The Japanese racer’s promotion has been well-timed as his Red Bull debut will arrive at his home race at Suzuka, where he delivered points with Racing Bulls in 2024.
However, Tsunoda is aiming higher on this occasion as he has outlined that he wants to become the first Japanese driver since 2012 to stand on the podium rostrum.
“To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix,” Tsunoda admitted.
“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.
“Of course, I was happy about joining Red Bull, but when I thought about it carefully, the idea of suddenly racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix felt so unreal.
“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.”
Tsunoda has acknowledged that his prospects of conducting a strong start to his Red Bull career will depend on how soon he can adapt to the team’s RB21 machine.
“My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB,” he continued.
“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.”
Tsunoda’s view on Red Bull’s RB21
Lawson’s short-lived spell has indicated Red Bull is no closer to resolving the second driver conundrum that has hindered it since Daniel Ricciardo’s initial exit in 2018.
But Tsunoda explained that he discovered the RB21 not to be “that challenging to drive” based on the simulator sessions he completed with Red Bull earlier this week.
“I spent about two days in the simulator. From that experience, I didn’t find the car to be that challenging to drive,” he addressed.
“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.
“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.”
Tsunoda relishing Red Bull debut in Japan
Tsunoda has insisted that he is relishing the heightened expectation on his shoulders as he prepares for his inaugural Red Bull outing in front of his home supporters.
“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.
“There aren’t many moments in life where you face this kind of extreme pressure and an opportunity as big as this, so I can only imagine that it’s going to be an incredibly thrilling race.
“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.
“Of course, getting promoted to Red Bull is an amazing opportunity, but before anything else, I wanted to talk to my engineers and the people who had supported me.
“So, despite all the emotions, I actually felt quite calm.
“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.'”
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