Johnny Herbert has backed Yuki Tsunoda to perform at Red Bull amid his debut for the team at this weekend’s Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
The Japanese driver has been switched with the underperforming Liam Lawson, who has been sent back to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda lining up for the Milton Keynes squad alongside Max Verstappen.
This year’s RB21 has proved to be a difficult car to wrestle with, and with Lawson failing to get out of Q1 in both of his Grands Prix with the team, the team believes that Tsunoda’s experience may prove crucial in how it can potentially develop the car going forward.
In an exclusive interview with Motorsport Week, three-time Grand Prix-winner and Lola Brand Ambassador Herbert said that Tsunoda should have been handed the drive all along.
“Well, before they made their decision, I was saying it’s Yuki, Yuki, Yuki, just because he was performing brilliantly on the racetrack itself,” he said. “He’s qualified. It’s always very exciting to watch.”
“And then I think what has improved the most – and I know Helmut Marko was critical of him a year or two ago – was his race pace, and his race pace was a little bit all over the place.
“But that has improved as well. So the package, I thought, was the right package to put into that position.
Lawson was drafted for the final six races of 2024, replacing Daniel Ricciardo, alongside Tsunoda at Racing Bulls, finishing ahead of him only once outright, at the United States Grand Prix.
Herbert intimated that being unable to get the better of Tsunoda in most of these races, and his lack of race time, was sufficient proof that the Kiwi was not quite ready to step into the main Red Bull team.
“Now, Liam did a brilliant job when he came in replacing Daniel [at Racing Bulls]. He did a good job up against Yuki,” he said.
“Did he beat Yuki and dominate Yuki? No. Did Yuki probably dominate Liam? Probably slightly. But he’s got the more experience at the same time.”
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Tsunoda will need ‘energy’ to get close to Verstappen at Red Bull
Herbert praised Tsunoda’s “hell of a lot of energy” behind the wheel of a racing car, but recognised the challenge he has in the form of his four-time World Champion team-mate, adding: “And I think that’s something that he needs to have when he goes and now has that chance at Red Bull.
“But he’s up against Max. And it’s not always just Max. It’s Ayrton Senna in the past; it’s Nigel Mansell in the past; it’s Lewis [Hamilton]; it’s Fernando Alonso.
“Those guys just always have that something extra. Whenever they’re struggling, they can always dip their hand in their back pocket and find a couple of tenths, like they always do.
“I suppose the expectations are probably the biggest thing that changes. When you’re in a smaller team, it’s quite a nice family environment, and you’re not thinking of winning races, you’re probably not thinking of being on the podium.
“But when you get in a big team, you’re expected to be on the podium, and you’re probably expected, if the car’s good enough, let’s say, to win races.
“So the pressure is completely different when you get into those big teams. That’s going to be the test even for Yuki, and we saw it with Liam. It didn’t click.”
Red Bull senior advisor Marko has stated since the swap was made that the team made “a mistake” in the decision to hand Lawson the drive, something Herbert corroborated.
“I know it’s not fair, two races, but in those two races, it was a bit of a disaster, so they jumped in quickly.
“Red Bull just looked at it and said, ‘we did make a mistake’, and they probably didn’t give him enough time because he’s done 11 races [career total]. That’s all.
“I know some people can jump in, let’s say going back to Lewis or Ayrton, Max – they can jump in and they can do the job straight away. Not everybody does that.
“Some people take a bit of time to get into the role that they’re expected to be in, so it’s tough, but it is tough, F1. It’s not fair.”
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