Yuki Tsunoda has, rightly or wrongly, developed a reputation as a hot-headed Formula 1 driver. And that’s something his new team, Red Bull, certainly won’t accept.
Tsunoda likened himself to a Monsters Inc character last year as he admitted he was prone to angry outbursts. It’s not as if the accusation was only being levelled by external critics.
However, according to those close to him, Tsunoda has grown in maturity in recent times, which likely contributed to Red Bull’s willingness to promote him. Liam Lawson unravelled in his first two races and the team felt they had to take decisive action.
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko have repeatedly overlooked Tsunoda in the past. They have questioned his consistency and, less directly, his resilience too.
The 24-year-old faces what is widely regarded as the toughest test in Formula 1 alongside Max Verstappen. Horner has been ‘very direct’ with Tsunoda, making it clear that he’s the team’s number two.
Yuki Tsunoda impressively rejects George Russell lap time comparison at Japanese Grand Prix
Realistically, Tsunoda couldn’t have hoped for a better start in Japanese Grand Prix FP1. P6 wasn’t necessarily a spectacular result, but the one-tenth margin to Verstappen was promising.
Speaking on the F1 Show, pundit Anthony Davidson also praised the debutant’s radio communications, saying: “Very calm and measured and mature radio communication from Yuki to the Red Bull team.”
At one point, Tsunoda’s race engineer Richard Wood informed him that the ‘delta to [Mercedes driver George] Russell is three tenths’. He responded that the team should ‘focus on ourselves’ and assured Wood that ‘I don’t need much reference time’.
F1 fans were impressed by Tsunoda’s attitude and authoritative tone. One wrote that ‘he is already showing more about himself than Lawson’, while another said he’s ‘looking impressive’.
He was told ‘he belongs in that Red Bull’, and his ‘leadership’ from the cockpit was commended. Tsunoda supporters added comments like ‘that’s my boy’ and ‘this is growth’.
Yuki Tsunoda finds himself in the same boat as Liam Lawson before Red Bull debut
Tsunoda has received tips from Pierre Gasly, his former AlphaTauri teammate, ahead of his debut. Gasly replaced Daniel Ricciardo at the start of 2019 but only lasted 12 races.
Thus, the Frenchman can advise Tsunoda on what not to do, rather than necessarily giving him tips for success. The consensus is that Red Bull’s second driver faces a survival mission more than anything else.
While FP1 was almost perfect, Tsunoda was hurt by issues beyond his control in FP2. He only managed 12 laps in a session that featured four red flags.
Tsunoda has encountered the same problem as Lawson, who missed almost all of FP3 on his debut in Australia before a Q1 exit. This time, the impact could be most acute in the race, with the traditional Friday afternoon long runs ruined.
