Ambitious Yuki Tsunoda shares lofty targets ahead of Red Bull Racing debut

Red Bull Racing's newest addition Yuki Tsunoda has set his target on a podium finish at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix. The homeboy acknowledged that the task to grab a podium on his debut for Red Bull would be tricky but vowed to give his best at Suzuka.

Red Bull made a startling change in their drivers lineup just two races into the 2025 season. Liam Lawson, Sergio Perez's replacement, failed to win a single point in Melbourne and Shanghai. His repeated Q1 exits in qualifying sessions were bad enough for Red Bull to reconsider his future.

In a surprising decision, the Milton Keynes-based squad decided to switch Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda starting from the Japanese Grand Prix, also the latter's home race. While Liam will move to VCARB, Tsunoda will debut for Red Bull four years after fighting in the sister team.

Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda attended a Honda event at Aoyama headquarters days after the announcement and shared his first reaction on the switch. While he deemed the promotion unexpected, the Japanese driver is committed to fighting for a podium in Suzuka. Speaking to Auto Sports, he said:

"To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix. This is the final year of Red Bull and Honda’s partnership, so getting to race in Suzuka as a Red Bull Racing driver feels like fate. Everything has fallen into place in just the right way for me to be standing here today."

"Of course, I was happy about joining Red Bull, but when I thought about it carefully, the idea of suddenly racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix felt so unreal. I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium. That said, I know it won’t be easy right from the start," he added.

Interestingly, Tsunoda has not driven the RB21 at all this year. He did a post-season test with Red Bull in Abu Dhabi last year, but in older models.

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Yuki Tsunoda does not think RB21 is challenging to drive

Yuki Tsunoda at Formula 1 Testing In Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

Red Bull's 2025 season challenger RB21 has been the fastest car on the grid this year as it lacks pace and stability. While Max Verstappen was able to control the car, his former teammate Liam Lawson couldn't, leading to his exit.

Now, Lawson's replacement, Yuki Tsunoda, has tested the RB21 on the simulator and made interesting revelations. Talking to Auto Sport, he said:

"I spent about two days in the simulator. From that experience, I didn’t find the car to be that challenging to drive. I definitely got the impression that the front end is very responsive. But if you ask whether it felt tricky to handle, I wouldn’t say it gave me a particularly strange feeling, at least in the simulator."

Since last year, speculations around the RB series cars built around Max Verstappen's driving style have gained steam. Many analysts believe that the RB21 is not suitable for rookies or drivers with less experience, as only Verstappen can handle the complexities of it.