Yuki Tsunoda revealed that Red Bull boss Christian Horner has given him assurances in the unlikely event he finds himself ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen during a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Tsunoda makes his long-awaited Red Bull debut this weekend at his home race in Japan, having swapped with Liam Lawson after just two rounds of the 2025 campaign.
Tsunoda is backing himself to succeed where others have failed, and Red Bull hopes his experience will count for something in the somewhat cursed second seat.
The Japanese driver is well aware of the task ahead of him, though, understanding his duty is to support Verstappen’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive Drivers’ title.
“In the end, Red Bull Racing are focused on Max scoring a Drivers’ championship,” Tsunoda told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He has proven himself to have good potential to be a world champion, even though Red Bull seems to be struggling a little now.
“Performance-wise, [Red Bull Team Principal Horner] wants me to be as close to Max as possible.
“In some races, I can help with the strategy, but he also promised me in some situations that if I’m able to be in front of Max that he wouldn’t necessarily ask me to swap positions and make Max win.”
When it comes to racing in the same team as Verstappen, Tsunoda isn’t concerned, saying, “I’m not really worrying about the relationship we’re going to have in both sides. I know what I want to do and probably how he drives and how he thinks.”
Tsunoda targeting top-10 result in Japan
Given the struggles endured by Lawson and Sergio Perez before him, Tsunoda being in a position ahead of Verstappen in race conditions is unlikely at this stage.
Ahead of the season, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko said to RTL that Lawson “should be within three-tenths of Max in both in qualifying and in the race.”
The New Zealander couldn’t live up to that target, exiting Q1 throughout his albeit limited Red Bull stint.
Tsunoda is hoping to at least break into the top-10 upon his Red Bull debut at Suzuka.
“Obviously I want to say points or a podium or whatever,” said Tsunoda.
“But at the same time, realistically, you think about jumping into the new car straight away with limited sessions, that’s pretty tough.
“I think what I can say for now is if I can score points – top 10 – I’ll be happy.”
Tsunoda’s initial impression of the RB21 in the simulator were reportedly positive, giving him the platform to match his Suzuka target.
Unlike Lawson, it has been revealed that Tsunoda will have time to achieve results with Red Bull, with Marko insisting that the Japanese driver will remain at the Milton Keynes-based outfit through the rest of the season.
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda: Red Bull RB21 ‘not challenging’ in initial sim run
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