The one thing Yuki Tsunoda must not do before his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix

After four years in the junior team, Yuki Tsunoda has finally been given his chance to race for Red Bull in 2025.

His opportunity comes at the expense of Liam Lawson. After just two races in 2025, Red Bull have decided to demote the New Zealander back to Racing Bulls, with Tsunoda going the other direction.

Lawson had a dismal start to the season, being eliminated in Q1 in every qualifying session – starting last in the Sprint and the main race in China. Crashing out in Melbourne and limping home 12th in Shanghai, he has failed to score points, whereas Max Verstappen has been fighting at the front.

Red Bull’s decision marks a dramatic U-turn from what they thought during the off-season. The team had felt Lawson would be better equipped to go up against the four-time champion, despite having less experience and being outperformed by Tsunoda in 2024.

Now, the Japanese driver will be given his chance – and there is no better place to have his Red Bull debut than his home race at the Japanese Grand Prix.

All of the attention will be on Tsunoda with the audience at Suzuka and his move to the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Given the high-pressure environment he is walking into, it is imperative the 24-year-old stay focused.

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Yuki Tsunoda must not accept too many interviews at the Japanese Grand Prix

Peter Windsor discussed Tsunoda’s switch to Red Bull on his YouTube channel. He believes that he will do ‘really well’ to reach Q3 but stressed it will be a ‘one-off’ if he cannot perform due to the media attention he is bound to receive.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Yuki if he makes Q3,” he said. “I think he’ll be doing really well to be honest because it’s not an easy car to jump into as we know and he’s going to have a lot of attention, a lot of pressure for the first time in his life really.

“He’s never had this much attention and it’s up to the team to get the best from him in that respect. It’s not going to be easy because Japan is a very special Formula 1 audience and he’s a very special driver.

“And Japan will have their own way of handling Yuki. Whereas, for example Oscar Piastri does very few interviews with the Australian press, Yuki probably does quite a lot I would imagine with the Japanese press and makes himself pretty available because that’s the way the Japanese are, they’re very courteous.

“So that’s going to be a, not distraction, it’s the wrong word but that’s going to have to be something they deal with and just put Japan under the heading of being a special race.

“And if Yuki isn’t at his best next weekend, then we need to just remember that it’s a one-off.”

Tsunoda cannot afford to accept too many interviews at Suzuka. Red Bull are bound to set up several and capitalise on the commercial value of being in Japan but they need to manage the situation and keep their driver focused.

Lawson looked ‘frazzled’ behind the scenes before he was dropped – he could not get used to the RB21’s characteristics. Red Bull must not lead Tsunoda down the same path as they need to keep their second driver in the right state of mind to perform from the start.

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History is not on Yuki Tsunoda’s side ahead of his Red Bull debut

Tsunoda is now Verstappen’s sixth teammate since 2018. While he will no doubt be excited for the challenge ahead, history shows just how monumental of a task he is walking into – and it is not on his side,

No driver in the second Red Bull seat has been able to perform with a machine that is so tailored to Verstappen’s sensitive driving style. Each of his teammates have been kicked to the curb or moved on – and many will fear Tsunoda is next.

The RB21 is a difficult car to drive, with even Verstappen struggling at times. Will Buxton wishes Tsunoda ‘good luck’ as he is walking into a team that cuts ties with its drivers before addressing the blatant issues with the car.

Jolyon Palmer is worried for Tsunoda as his data at Racing Bulls shows he may be trading his VCARB 02 for the slower RB21. He had reached Q3 in every qualifying session for the Faenza squad in Melbourne and Shanghai.

If Tsunoda also fails, Red Bull simply have to work on the car to find its problems. The team have to support their latest recruit as he achieves his dream of racing for Red Bull on home soil.