Yuki Tsunoda eyes dream podium at Suzuka with Red Bull ahead of Japan GP

Yuki Tsunoda, recently moved to Red Bull from its junior team, Racing Bulls, is envisioning a dream scenario: standing on the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka while donning Red Bull colors. Ahead of his pivotal home race, Tsunoda expressed that the opportunity still feels "unreal."

Transferring to Red Bull just two races into the season, with Liam Lawson heading in the opposite direction, Tsunoda opened up about the whirlwind transition. "To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix," Tsunoda remarked during a Honda event in Aoyama. "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."

While thrilled about joining the Red Bull team, Tsunoda remains grounded about his ambitions. "I don't want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium," he said, acknowledging the challenge ahead. "My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB [Racing Bulls]. 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 is also embracing the pressure of being Max Verstappen's teammate and managing Red Bull's challenging car. Reflecting on the call-up, he said, "When I first got the call, I thought: 'Wow, this is going to be interesting.' More than anything, I'm excited about the challenge ahead."

Anticipating a thrilling experience, Tsunoda concluded, "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."

As Tsunoda gears up for the Japanese GP, fans eagerly await to see whether his dream of clinching a podium spot will become a reality.

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