Damon Hill drops 4-word reaction to Yuki Tsunoda's aspirations of wanting to beat Max Verstappen at Red Bull

Yuki Tsunoda aims to beat his four-time world champion teammate Max Verstappen after getting thorough knowledge of the RB21. F1 champion Damon Hill has backed him to accomplish his quest.

Tsunoda's life changed unexpectedly ahead of the 2025 Japanese GP after Red Bull sacked Liam Lawson just two races into the new season due to disappointing performance. The Japanese driver, who spent four years racing for VCARB, was promoted as Verstappen's teammate.

At the Bahrain GP, Tsunoda scored his first points of the season for Red Bull, finishing P9. While he is going through a learning curve with the unpredictable RB21, he expects to challenge his teammate soon.

In an interview with The Race, Yuki Tsunoda said that when he learns to extract the full potential of the RB21, he will be able to beat Max Verstappen:

"It's my first time driving a completely different car. I'm trying to use that, and I know that if I unlock that area, I would probably be able to beat him."

Tsunoda's confidence impressed F1 champion Damon Hill, as he shared an encouraging message for him on social media.

"Go for it, Yuki," Hill said via his Instagram story.

Damon Hill's IG Story [Image Source: @96f1champ/Instagram]

The RB21 package has several flaws, which are keeping both Verstappen and Tsunoda from fighting for victories or podiums. After a win in Japan, the Dutchman saw a drastic dip in performance in Bahrain, finishing P6.

Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, finished P12 in Japan but recovered to P9 in Bahrain. However, his qualifying performance is not up to the mark. Regardless, as Red Bull's senior motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed, he will have the entire 2025 season to prove himself before his contract expires with the team.

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Yuki Tsunoda draws similarities with Max Verstappen's driving style

Yuki Tsunoda [L] with Max Verstappen [R] at F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Final Practice - Source: Getty

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen is known to have a unique aggressive driving style where he uses the rear end of the car more than the front. This may hamper the car's stability around high-speed corners, which the Dutchman is believed to have mastered the art of controlling.

Yuki Tsunoda, the new Red Bull driver, believes his driving style is similar to Verstappen's. Talking to The Race, he said:

“So far the driving style, actually how the brake shape is and the releasing part, everything, is quite close. I never thought about how the driving style between us [might compare], but so far it's not too far away.”

That being said, Tsunoda is still in a learning phase and is taking inspiration from Verstappen to get better knowledge of the complex design of the RB21. He has raced only two weekends in it and already managed to score points in Bahrain last week.