Tsunoda set to close gap on Verstappen in Japan GP, says Horner

Dominika Jordan
Apr 1, 2025, 10:42 AM ET

Newly appointed Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that team principal Christian Horner has instructed him to narrow the performance gap with Max Verstappen as much as possible. Tsunoda has taken over the seat from Liam Lawson, who was relegated to the junior team, Racing Bulls, after failing to score any points in his two races this season.

The team, reeling from their loss of last year's Constructors' Championship to McLaren, currently sits third in the table after the first two races of the season, exacerbated by Lawson's inability to score any points.

"In the end, Red Bull Racing is focused on Max [Verstappen] 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, [Horner] wants me to be as close to Max as possible."

Tsunoda added that while he might support strategic plays during some races, Horner has assured him there will be situations where he won't be required to yield his position to Verstappen. "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, he wouldn't necessarily ask me to swap positions and make Max win," Tsunoda said.

Having been with the junior team since 2021, Tsunoda views his Red Bull debut at Suzuka this weekend as a meaningful milestone. "It feels like fate that my Red Bull debut will come in front of my home crowd at Suzuka," he said.

Despite not yet having had the opportunity to interact with Verstappen since his promotion, Tsunoda remains confident about building a productive relationship with the Dutch driver. "I mentioned in the past quite a while ago that he's a bit different from how he behaves in the car and outside of the car," Tsunoda explained. "I'm not really worrying about the relationship we're going to have on both sides. I know what I want to do and probably how he drives and how he thinks."

As Tsunoda readies himself for a pivotal race in front of his home fans, all eyes will be on whether he can meet Horner's challenge and deliver performances that bring him closer to Verstappen.