Christian Horner has backed Yuki Tsunoda to find his feet at Red Bull as the team looked to get him extra time behind the wheel.

Tsunoda was dropped into the RB21 after just two races this season but Red Bull recently organised a TPC test at Silverstone in an effort to get him more acclimatised to their cars.

Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull progress update given by Christian Horner

Coming from Racing Bulls to Red Bull is a surprisingly difficult step it would seem, despite the close link, and as Liam Lawson and now Tsunoda have found out, pace in one does not mean pace in another.

Tsunoda has had four races in the Red Bull car but has scored just six points, becoming the latest driver to struggle to match the pace of Max Verstappen.

Team principal and CEO Horner is not overly concerned though, revealing they gave the Japanese driver time behind the wheel during a TPC at Silverstone, although it did not go entirely to plan.

“It was just an opportunity for Yuki to spend a bit more time with the engineering staff,” Horner said., His mileage had been very limited with Red Bull Racing.

“So doing a TPC with a couple-of-years-old car gave him the opportunity to get more familiar with the engineering team and procedures at Red Bull.

“The British weather intervened – there was rain in the morning – but he managed to get a few laps in. So it was useful.”

More on Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull from PlanetF1.com

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Asked on where Tsunoda was lacking in comparison to Verstappen, Horner did not highlight one particular area but said there was improvement to be found across the lap.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint any one particular area,” he said. “Like all these things, it’s always little bits across a lap.

“But he’s finding his feet, he’s brought a decent amount of experience, and he’s giving good feedback.

“I have to say, he’s brought a really positive energy into the team – he’s quite a character – and he’s certainly rapid. I think as he finds confidence, we’ll see him move further up the grid.”

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