Yuki Tsunoda left in disbelief by skill Max Verstappen has mastered at Red Bull that he ‘still can’t feel’

Red Bull Racing didn’t waste any time at the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season when they sensed that things weren’t going to plan in one of their garages.

After agonising over a decision on who should be Max Verstappen’s teammate this year, they eventually settled on Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Unfortunately, they made a few missteps before reaching that decision.

Red Bull handed Sergio Perez a new contract halfway through last year, even though the signs were clear that he was struggling to get to grips with the RB20.

By the end of the campaign, it became clear that the Mexican couldn’t continue at Red Bull, leaving team principal Christian Horner with a tough call to make.

Horner opted for Liam Lawson, despite his relative lack of experience compared to Tsunoda.

Unfortunately, Lawson struggled massively in Red Bull’s 2025 car, and just two race weekends later, he was back at Racing Bulls for a third spell.

And so, after years of patiently waiting, Tsunoda got his chance to race alongside Verstappen at Red Bull, although his first three Grand Prix haven’t been straightforward.

Tsunoda has been excited to learn from Verstappen and has been left blown away by one skill he’s already demonstrated in front of him.

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Yuki Tsunoda says Max Verstappen has mastered tyre temperature skill

Tsunoda was speaking in an interview with Autosport about his start to life with Red Bull.

He explained how his adaptation period was going, and said, “In terms of confidence, I’m happy, considering I’ve only done a few races and it’s going to grow.

“For now I’m trying to understand how this car works, how to put it in the window it wants, from the point of view of tyre warm-up and set-up.

“I don’t think I understand even half of it yet. These things are the key I’m trying to work on to understand as soon as possible.”

When pushed on what he’s seen from Verstappen so far in their short time working together, he continued, “Max senses more things in the car than I do, like for example the tyre temperature when you leave the garage. When the temperatures drop from Q1 to Q3, Max adapts.

“When the temperature drops, he can adapt the warm-up lap, he knows how to warm up the tyres in each corner, maybe increase the pace or things like that.

“I didn’t feel this. I couldn’t feel what I felt with the Racing Bulls. I still can’t feel it with this car, maybe simply because I’m not driving completely relaxed.”

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Yuki Tsunoda fighting for his Formula 1 future at Red Bull

Tsunoda has impressed Horner in his first few races but would have hoped for some better results.

He failed to score points on his Red Bull debut at his home race in Japan but did secure a P9 finish in Bahrain.

That was a track where even Verstappen struggled after he got stuck behind Pierre Gasly until the final lap on his last stint.

Tsunoda and Gasly collided on the first lap in Saudi Arabia, and while neither driver was pinned with the blame by the stewards, both parties could have yielded before ending up in the barriers.

Red Bull have only handed Tsunoda a one-year deal, meaning he needs to impress in the coming races to be on the grid next season.

There aren’t many available seats elsewhere for 2026, and with Honda departing to start work exclusively with Aston Martin, one of Tsunoda’s key safety nets has been removed.