Christian Horner shares his verdict on Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull debut

Christian Horner expressed satisfaction with Yuki Tsunoda’s debut outing in the Red Bull RB21, praising the Japanese driver’s pace despite a compromised Q2 session. Speaking to Sky Sports after qualifying, the Red Bull Racing CEO felt Tsunoda was deserving of a spot in the top 10, even though circumstances prevented him from progressing beyond 14th on the grid.

In Q1, Tsunoda delivered a standout performance, lapping within a tenth of teammate Max Verstappen. The Red Bull duo ended the segment sixth and seventh, respectively, showcasing promising pace. However, in Q2, after setting a solid banker lap, Tsunoda was hindered by a red flag interruption and struggled with tire temperature on his final attempt.

Horner acknowledged the challenges but was impressed by Tsunoda’s immediate competitiveness in the RB21—especially when compared to his predecessor, Liam Lawson, who failed to escape Q1 in any of his three qualifying sessions. The team boss believes Tsunoda has the potential to climb up the order in the race and expects stronger performances as he settles into his new role.

Commenting on the debut qualifying session of Yuki Tsunoda in the RB21, Horner said (via Sky Sports):

“Certainly in Q1 he looked competitive, he was within a tenth of Max and just once place behind. He didn't improve in Q2 and I think he was a bit quick into Turn 1 and couldn't recover. I think he could comfortably have made the top 10 today, but he can still race well tomorrow. He has done very well.”

Tsunoda also shared the reasons behind his struggles in qualifying.

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Yuki Tsunoda reckons tire warm-up cost him a top-10 qualifying result

Yuki Tsunoda believes that a lack of optimal tire warm-up hampered his performance in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver admitted he is still in the process of adapting to the RB21 and learning to extract the most from his new tools. Disappointed at not being able to fully maximize the car’s potential, Tsunoda pointed to tire temperatures falling outside the ideal window as a key factor in his Q2 elimination.

With track temperatures dropping steadily throughout the session, several drivers struggled to get their tires into the right operating range. Tsunoda noted that his tire condition deteriorated in Q2, preventing him from improving on his initial lap. Despite the setback, he remains focused on adapting quickly and progressing in the race. He had also opted for a high downforce setup, likely to compromise him in the qualifying and pay better dividends in the race.

Commenting on his qualifying session to F1TV, Yuki Tsunoda said:

“I think the warmup didn’t go as I wanted. I’m still learning. The warmup, how it ended up, I thought it was ok. I knew it was maybe going to be a bit compromised, but the penalty was pretty big. It’s a shame that I wasn’t able to extract the performance from the car. It was looking good from Q1 and it just felt that overall, everything got worse and worse throughout. A great shame. The confidence in the car at least feels good now, it’s just that I wasn’t able to put it all together today. Very sad.”

Starting 14th on the grid isn’t the most ideal outcome for Yuki Tsunoda, especially with both Racing Bulls drivers, Isaac Hadjar and Liam Lawson, qualifying ahead of him.

However, considering he’s had no winter preparation or preseason testing in the RB21, this weekend has largely been about adaptation and learning on the job. Fortunately for Tsunoda, Suzuka is a circuit that offers overtaking opportunities, giving him a chance to recover and potentially work his way into the points during the race.