WATCH: Yuki Tsunoda performs donuts on the streets of his home country in a Red Bull car 

Yuki Tsunoda, the new Red Bull driver, spun his RB21 into donuts to entertain his home crowd in Japan. He did the stunts on the streets of Tokyo city to acknowledge the love of home fans ahead of his Red Bull debut.

Tsunoda is set to race in his home country this week as the Japanese Grand Prix is scheduled for April 6. The race is special for him not only because of the presence of his home fans but also because of a big team switch.

The Japanese driver has been promoted to the Red Bull senior team as Liam Lawson's replacement. The driver swap will demote the latter into VCARB.

Meanwhile, ahead of his debut, Tsunoda took out his RB21 for a spin across the streets of Tokyo city. He did donuts to woo the home crowd as fans cheered for him. He also posed in a Red Bull suit for the first time this year.

You can watch it here:

Yuki Tsunoda has apparently been given one full season to prove himself, unlike Liam Lawson, who was fired after two races. Moreover, the Japanese driver has claimed that he will not be given any team orders while racing four-time world champion teammate Max Verstappen. His immediate goal is reportedly to race as close as possible to his teammate.

While this year's RB21 has reportedly been challenging to drive, Yuki Tsunoda has delivered good results in the simulator as confirmed by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko (via Planet F1). He added that Tsunoda also provided solid technical feedback to help the team improve in the future.

For Red Bull, Tsunoda's promotion is likely a desperate bid to stay competitive as McLaren leads the pack in constructors standings. They are yet to win a race this year, and Max Verstappen is trailing Lando Norris in championship standings by eight points.

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Honda distances itself from Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull promotion

Yuki Tsunoda at Oracle Red Bull Racing Show Run in Tokyo - Source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda's promotion to Red Bull after just two races into the 2025 F1 season caught fans by surprise. There were some speculations that the team's longtime Japanese engine suppliers, Honda, reportedly lobbied for Tsunoda.

However, Honda president Koji Watanabe has rejected the rumors. Talking to Motorsportweek, he said:

“Our partnership with Red Bull will conclude this year, so we have no leverage to pressure Red Bull regarding 2026. He earned his promotion to Red Bull based on his performance, so he must continue proving himself to remain there in the coming years. The most important thing is his own will – since he wants to continue with Red Bull, we have no reason to interfere.”

Honda, who signed with Red Bull back in 2018, will end its historic partnership this year in Japan. From 2026, the Bulls will manufacture their own engine in partnership with Ford, whereas Honda will tie up with Aston Martin.