Max Verstappen issues verdict on Yuki Tsunoda's first day of running with Red Bull

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen gave a positive verdict on his teammate Yuki Tsunoda's first day in the RB21 after the end of the Friday Practice running at the 2025 Japanese GP. The 24-year-old is making his debut with the Austrian team at his home race at the Suzuka International Circuit this weekend after he was promoted from the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 team last week.

The Japanese driver is replacing Liam Lawson at the Milton-Keynes outfit after the latter failed to impress the Red Bull hierarchy in the two races with them. Tsunoda made a stunning start to his time with the former world champions as he finished P6 in the FP1 session and was just a tenth off Max Verstappen.

However, it was a tricky FP2 session for everyone given the four red flag stoppages caused by multiple incidents like crashes and fire around the track. Speaking with Sky Sports, Max Verstappen gave a brief verdict on Yuki Tsunoda's first day in the RB21 and reflected:

"I think he started off pretty well in FP1 then FP2 was chaotic for everyone. We have a lot of homework to do from our side to focus on the car but I think everything went quite well."

Before jumping in the RB21, Yuki Tsunoda had completed a couple of days in the simulator to better prepare himself for the characteristics of the 2025 challenger.

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Yuki Tsunoda analyses his first Friday with Red Bull in Japan

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda believed that the FP1 session was a good start for him as it went better than he expected. Speaking with Motorsportweek, the 24-year-old reflected after completing two practice sessions and said:

“Yeah, FP1 was better than expected. A good start for myself. FP2 I didn’t set a lap time. I think there is a lot of work to do, maybe slightly struggled or something that we have to look through the data in FP2 more, but so far overall it’s OK. I just have to build up confidence more.”

Tsunoda finished the FP2 session in P18 as he was unable to get a soft tire running compared to other cars around him. When asked about the tricky nature of the RB21, he added:

“A little bit more than I expected in terms of the car feeling. I knew anyway it was always going to be a bit different in the real car and it was a little bit more exaggerated in the real car. It’s feeling a bit more tricky.”

Tsunoda will have one more practice session before diving into the competitive sessions from Qualifying, where he will look to secure a solid starting position for the main race on Sunday.