Yuki Tsunoda has already started his duties as a Red Bull Racing driver with a demo run on the streets of Tokyo in Japan.
Officially a Red Bull driver, the 24-year-old will make his debut for the Milton Keynes-based outfit at his home race – the Japanese Grand Prix.
Tsunoda has earned the gig after a fast start to the season for the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls outfit, which he has raced for since the start of the 2021 campaign.
He replaces Liam Lawson who endured a troubled start to life in the senior team, failing to qualify higher than 18th in three sessions before being demoted.
Tsunoda’s Red Bull ‘priority’ at the Japanese Grand Prix is to achieve his first Formula 1 podium on home turf, and hand Honda a dream debut race.
After hitting the Red Bull simulator, Tsunoda has already proven Helmut Marko wrong by offering his new team some excellent feedback. His voice will be important in car development.
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Yuki Tsunoda asked himself ‘why’ he was doing Red Bull F1 seat fit for 2025
Tsunoda lost the fight for a 2025 Red Bull F1 seat because Lawson was in the ear of the leadership a lot more. He was reminding them every day that he was the best option.
After being snubbed for the opportunity, Tsunoda had to go to the factory in Milton Keynes for a seat fit, as part of his duties as their reserve driver in 2025.
Speaking to Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, he explained that he found himself asking why he was in the position that he was before the start of the campaign.
“Yeah, to be honest, yeah. Even probably when I was [a] reserve driver for Red Bull Racing this year and I was doing [the] seat fitting already before Bahrain testing,” he said.
“Partly probably 10% of myself, side of my head, [was thinking] why am I doing this seat fitting for? I felt like last year’s end of the season was the biggest chance and closest I went throughout my career and it didn’t happen.”
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What Japanese Grand Prix result would be considered a success for Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull?
Expectations aren’t sky-high for Tsunoda after both Sergio Perez and Lawson struggled in the second car in recent times.
It would be a pleasant surprise for his team if he was able to sneak into the top six during Sunday’s race. His position in the drivers’ championship probably won’t mean too much to them by the end of the year.
Red Bull will just want to see enough promise to suggest that the Japanese driver could be the right choice to line up alongside Max Verstappen from the start of the 2026 F1 regulations.
They’re in desperate need of solving something which has been a headache for nearly seven years now, ever since Daniel Ricciardo left for Renault.
Otherwise, they may be forced to promote prematurely again or hire from outside their own stable of drivers.
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