Yuki Tsunoda ready to embrace Red Bull challenge ahead of Suzuka debut

SUZUKA, Japan -- Yuki Tsunoda is determined not to let the challenges faced by previous Red Bull drivers hinder his performance as he steps into the seat alongside Max Verstappen. Having been called up to replace Liam Lawson after the Chinese Grand Prix, Tsunoda is optimistic about the opportunity ahead.

Tsunoda's promotion follows a quick turnover of drivers, with Sergio Perez losing his spot at the team at the end of 2024, having struggled to match the four-time world champion Verstappen. Lawson, who replaced Perez, only lasted two races before Tsunoda was given the nod.

Despite the notorious difficulty of mastering the Red Bull car, Tsunoda is confident he can adapt. "I have confidence," he stated at Suzuka on Thursday, ahead of his home race weekend in Japan. "I'm not saying I have the confidence that I can perform straight away like Max, but I have confidence that I can do something different, hopefully, compared to other drivers that will be in the car. If I didn't have confidence, I wouldn't be wearing this [Red Bull team clothing]. I would have stayed in [junior team] Racing Bulls."

Tsunoda expressed his readiness for the new challenge and his understanding of the car's performance. "Racing Bulls already have such a good car, and I understand how they extract performance in every race so far but because I wanted to have a new challenge, and I have good confidence to challenge myself, so that's why I'm wearing this and hitting the track with a different livery."

Team principal Christian Horner informed Tsunoda of the driver swap following the Chinese Grand Prix, though specific details were not discussed. Horner has been supportive, according to Tsunoda, and has not imposed a strict timeline for him to match Verstappen's pace. "I didn't get any specific number of races or time to prove myself," Tsunoda added. "He's been very supportive so far and just mentioned the expectations he has of me - what he wants me to achieve. Pressure always comes once you hit the track. But for now, I feel really relaxed. It feels similar to when I was at VCARB. Once I entered hospitality, I was feeling the same, I was only thinking about breakfast. So far I'm not necessarily feeling pressure."

In preparation, Tsunoda spent time at Red Bull's headquarters and drove the car in the driver-in-loop simulator. He noted that while the simulator did not entirely replicate the car's trickiness, it provided valuable insights. "I mean, in the simulator obviously it's not fully correct in terms of trickiness of the car, but at least it didn't feel crazy tricky," Tsunoda explained. "I can feel what the drivers mentioned about the instability or lack of driving confidence. I did multiple set-ups that I wanted to try to make it better and those two days seemed pretty productive. I know what kind of direction I want to start and it seems to be a good baseline in terms of overall performance. So yeah, it was a really good simulator session."

When asked if he received any advice from Verstappen, Tsunoda remarked, "I think even if I tapped his shoulder and asked about the car, I don't think he's going to say the truth, you know? So I just try to discover it myself in the data, how he's driving, also on onboard videos. I already checked multiple videos from him in the last two grand prix. Like I said, I didn't feel the trickiness yet - the clear trickiness of the car. I'll feel it myself, and I'm sure it also depends on driving style. It will behave a little bit different."

As Tsunoda gears up for the challenge, all eyes will be on how he performs alongside Verstappen in the demanding Red Bull car.

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