Yuki Tsunoda is gearing up for what is widely considered the most challenging role in motorsports. At just 24, with four full seasons in Formula 1 under his belt and a promising start to the 2025 season, Tsunoda believes he’s more prepared than his predecessor, Liam Lawson, to face the daunting task of being Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull Racing. Many see this position as perilous for a driver’s career, but Tsunoda is ready to prove them wrong.
For Tsunoda, there’s nothing to lose. This year was likely going to be his last with the Racing Bulls, given Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s remarks last December. Horner said that after five years in what he referred to as the “support team,” a driver needs to either progress or move on. While Tsunoda has shown he belongs on the F1 grid, opportunities for 2026 are limited unless Red Bull’s junior team retains him. The step up to Red Bull is not just a chance to shift his career trajectory—it’s a potential pathway to solidifying his place in a leading team for the long haul.
This challenge becomes even more immense when you consider not only is he taking on F1’s toughest seat, but he’s doing so with limited experience in this car, just two races into the season, and during his home grand prix. The home fans are devoted, and with Honda owning the circuit and hoping for Tsunoda to excel, the pressure will be immense. His performance at Suzuka could determine his future with Red Bull. The team will decide soon whether he’ll stay for the 2026 season, and his time to convince them is ticking away fast.
Red Bull insiders have long questioned Tsunoda’s temperament more than his driving skills, which previously delayed his promotion. This perception began when he first tested for AlphaTauri (then Toro Rosso) after the 2020 season in Abu Dhabi, where his radio communications were notably emotional and vocal. Tsunoda has acknowledged the need to work on this.
However, this reputation is becoming outdated as Tsunoda has made significant strides in managing his “emotional control.” The last notable instance was during the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2024, where he expressed frustration at team orders with an unorthodox pass on Daniel Ricciardo during a cooldown lap. Since then, he’s been on a steadier path, except for an incident involving an inappropriate comment during Austrian Grand Prix qualifying, for which he swiftly apologized and paid a hefty fine. Still, many times, his firm stands against team directives are mistaken for insubordination when, in reality, they aren’t. A case in point is the Chinese Grand Prix, where he insisted on pushing the front end harder, despite team resistance. His insight was subsequently validated, leading the team to endorse his decision. The narrative of a non-cooperative driver no longer fits.
When Tsunoda entered F1 in 2021, the journey was a steep uphill climb. In his debut race in Bahrain, he finished ninth, but with only a year each in European F3 and F2 behind him, he was still developing. He underestimated the challenge of F1 initially, making several mistakes his first year. Yet over time, he grew, stepping into a leadership role once Pierre Gasly moved to Alpine at the end of 2022. Now, his performance issues largely stem from his team’s inconsistencies, not his own weaknesses.
The first two races of this year tell a similar story. In Australia, he was a top-six runner until rain, and strategy missteps left him out of the points. In China, a similar scenario unfolded with a two-stop strategy against a field leaning towards one. His standout performance came with a sixth-place finish in the Shanghai Sprint, highlighting his strong form. The question now is whether he can take this impressive streak to Red Bull and master the faster, yet more finicky, car.
To make his move successful, Tsunoda must at least partially mirror Verstappen’s knack for getting the most out of a challenging car. The Red Bull RB21 is aerodynamic and gripping, but capitalizing on its capabilities consistently requires overcoming balance issues. This distinction could mean the difference between podium finishes and early exits in Q1. Verstappen’s genius lies in his unparalleled skill to utilize the car’s brakes and turn-in for optimal performance. The RB21 may be prone to understeer and sudden oversteers, but Verstappen’s precise control provides the grip needed at the front without losing the rear.
Particularly in qualifying, Verstappen’s ability to adjust the car’s behavior on a dime is what lets him squeeze out every ounce of performance. While it’s a delicate balance, akin to tightrope walking, Verstappen manages where others falter. This is exactly where Lawson struggled, continually missing that elusive “sweet spot.”
This isn’t merely an issue of the car favoring Verstappen’s aggressive style, which comfortably manages a lively rear end when many others would find it too twitchy. The RB21 can reach high-performance levels, but doing so demands exceptional skill. Even Verstappen admits he faces a tough task with a car not yet to his liking. His driving finesse is a level beyond most, teetering on the brink of control with precision.
Can Tsunoda emulate Verstappen? Realistically, probably not. Verstappen, at 27, is already celebrated as one of the sport’s greatest drivers. Yet the pertinent issue is whether Tsunoda can get close enough to apply the necessary technique that Red Bull requires. The team’s usual standards involve being roughly three-tenths off Verstappen’s pace while consistently racking up points. Naturally, Tsunoda believes in his ability to exceed these expectations.
There is a precedent for hope: the post-season test in Abu Dhabi last year. Tsunoda completed 127 laps in the 2024 Red Bull, a session enabled more by Honda’s backing than Red Bull’s invitation. Tsunoda felt comfortable pushing the car and claimed he could drive it confidently to its edges.
“I didn’t really struggle much to adapt,” Tsunoda remarked. “I didn’t have many dirty laps. On the long runs, I was consistent and quickly understood the car’s limitations—something impossible without complete trust in the car.”
Despite Tsunoda’s strong showing, Red Bull had already decided to bring in Lawson to replace Sergio Perez, pending the finalization of Perez’s exit deal. The fact they were ready to make that switch with Lawson so early in the season shows Tsunoda impressed sufficiently in Abu Dhabi.
Tsunoda’s recent experiences and progress make him better equipped for this role now than earlier in his career. He steps into Red Bull Racing’s ranks with a level of preparedness akin to past drivers like Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly. Known for his aggressive late-braking style, Tsunoda shared insights into his technique in a conversation back in November 2023:
“Stronger and fast,” he described. “I’m stronger in the initial braking phase than any driver I’ve watched. Teammate Ricciardo excels at releasing the brakes later on; that’s something I can definitely learn from.”
This phase of Tsunoda’s development has been crucial in enlarging his skills. While his debut partner, Gasly, also preferred a late-braking approach, Ricciardo’s influence taught Tsunoda the value of balancing a car using the brakes—a critical skillset for emulating Verstappen. In direct contrast to what his instincts tell him—braking too late compromises control and traction—this nuanced understanding gives Tsunoda a foundational grasp of the task ahead.
Tsunoda stands on the brink of a monumental opportunity, one that could elevate him from being a promising midfielder to a definitive frontrunner. While more preparation time would have been ideal, especially a winter and pre-season to get fully accustomed, this is the chance he’s been longing for—to succeed where Gasly, Albon, Perez, and Lawson couldn’t.
If Tsunoda can step up, and he doesn’t need to rival Verstappen but simply perform robustly as Red Bull’s secondary driver, this could significantly elevate his career. Should he fall short, it may close doors, yet it’s an invaluable chance to showcase his capability in F1’s most formidable seat.
