Liam Lawson’s replacement sends a subtle alarm about his ‘confidence’ to tame RB21 before Japanese GP qualifying

Yuki Tsunoda, stepping in for Liam Lawson at Red Bull, shared his thoughts on handling a "tricky" RB21 during his second practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix. After being called up to the senior team, two rounds into the season, Tsunoda faces high expectations as he heads into his home race at Suzuka.

On Friday's FP1, Tsunoda made an early promise in his first outing with the Austrian team, finishing one-tenth of a second behind teammate Max Verstappen. The lap time earned him a spot below the reigning champion at sixth.

However, his FP2 session was disrupted by multiple yellow flags, including Jack Doohan's crash and trackside fires. Unable to record a good run with the limited track time, the young driver finished the session in 18th.

Reflecting upon the same, Tsunoda talked to Sky Sports and said:

"FP2 I didn't even set a lap time. Lots of work to do. Maybe slightly struggled or there's something we have to look into the data for FP2 but so far it was okay, I just need to build the confidence more."

Tsunoda also spoke about adapting to the car's real-world behavior compared to the simulator experience.

"It's a bit different to the simulator, what I felt. Maybe more than expected in terms of car feeling. I knew it would always be a bit different in the real car and it was a bit more exaggerated in the real car, feeling a bit more tricky."

The Japanese driver bounced back on Saturday to finish ninth in the third practice session. Meanwhile, Liam Lawson finished three spots behind at 12th. Interestingly, Lawson recorded a fifth-place result in the second practice session, two spots below his teammate Isack Hadjar.

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"This weekend is a big opportunity": Liam Lawson looks forward to Racing Bulls comeback

Returning to his cockpit with Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson expressed his eagerness to make the most out of the opportunity. Following a nightmarish start to the season marked by an underwhelming pace in the RB21, Lawson looks to reset in his second chance with the junior team.

Speaking ahead of the race weekend, the 23-year-old shared his thoughts and said:

"I’m really looking forward to be racing in Japan this weekend. Suzuka is one of my favorite tracks on the calendar. It’s cool to drive and very high speed, which makes it great fun in a Formula One car."

He added:

"This weekend is a big opportunity for me as I rejoin Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, and I’m very excited to work with this team again. As always, I’ll be giving it everything I have."

On Saturday's qualifying session, Liam Lawson edged out his Red Bull replacement Yuki Tsunoda by one-tenth of a second. Both drivers were eliminated in Q2, with Lawson lining up at 14th and Tsunoda one spot behind at 15th.