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Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has shared his verdict on Yuki Tsunoda's debut with the Austrian team, saying that the Japanese driver showed signs of doing exactly what the team wants from him. After qualifying in P15, Tsunoda could not manage to get into the points at the Japanese Grand Prix and finished the race in P12.
Tsunoda got off to a great start on his Red Bull debut, with promising results in the three practice sessions prior to the commencement of the main action during the Japanese GP. But when it came to the qualifying session on Saturday, the 24-year-old was knocked out in Q2.
Tsunoda qualified in P15 and while this was still the best qualifying result for a Red Bull driver other than Max Verstappen this season, it was definitely a disappointing start for the home hero on his debut with his new team. Tsunoda was even outqualfied by Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced at the senior Red Bull team.
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Speaking to F1 TV on Sunday, Helmut Marko shared his verdict on Yuki Tsunoda's first outing in a Red Bull during the Japanee GP, as the Austrian seemed to focus on the positives. He said (as reported by RacingNews365):
"He lost out in qualifying. He made a mistake in turn one, but in all other sessions he was close to Max, at about two to three tenths. That is exactly what we are looking for."
"For Liam Lawson, the qualifying was also a problem, but I think he can recover from that. Then he can also finish in the points," Marko added, comparing Tsunoda to Lawson.
Yuki Tsunoda had previously revealed that Red Bull team boss Christian Horner also told him that the expectations from him are simply to get as close to Max Verstappen as possible in qualifying and races. Helmut Marko seems to have echoed these sentiments with his statement.
Yuki Tsunoda shared his thoughts after underwhelming Red Bull debut at the Japanese GP
Yuki Tsunoda shared that he had 'mixed feelings' after making his Red Bull debut at the Japanese GP, as he claimed that he was disappointed not to finish in the points but also learned a lot about his new car in the 53-lap race. Tsunoda also shared that he simply needs to do a better job in qualifying from the next race onwards.
Speaking after the race at Suzuka on Sunday, Tsunoda shared his feelings about his first outing for the Austrian team, saying (via Formula 1):
"Mixed feelings. Obviously, the result is not the result I wanted. At least, I wanted to finish in the points this weekend. I think in qualifying, I just have to do a bit better. I think the pace was there, I was just stuck in traffic all around."
Sharing his bittersweet emotions after a disappointing race in front of his home crowd, he added:
"It was pretty frustrating, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve learned a lot of things in the 53 laps. I learned more than anything, so I’m positive about that. I’m excited for the next one but, at the same time, it’s a home Grand Prix. It’s once in a year, so it was a bit tough."
Yuki Tsunoda is likely to be afforded more time to settle down at the Red Bull team than his predecessor Liam Lawson, who was demoted to Racing Bulls after just two races and a sprint at the start of the season.
