Yuki Tsunoda’s homecoming turns tense as he airs ‘frustration’ over Red Bull debut

Red Bull newcomer Yuki Tsunoda endured a bittersweet weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix. Despite showing promising pace during qualifying, the young driver shared his frustration over missing out on points on his home turf.

Yuki Tsunoda's debut with the Austrian team began with a strong showing in FP1, finishing a tenth behind new teammate Max Verstappen. However, the young driver struggled to translate the same in qualifying, bowing out of Q2 with a 15th place finish.

In Sunday's race, the 24-year-old lined up one spot ahead at 14th, following Carlos Sainz's three place grid penalty. As the race unfolded, he managed to pass former teammates Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly to ultimately settle for a 12th place finish. Meanwhile, Verstappen held on to his pole position to grab the checkered flag, marking his first win of the season.

Reflecting upon the same, Tsunoda said,

"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. "

"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,” he added.

After spending four years with the junior team, Yuki Tsunoda was called up to replace Liam Lawson at Red Bull, merely two rounds into the 2025 season. As Lawson returned to his old seat with Racing Bulls, Tsunoda faced an uphill task of adapting to the RB21's drivability issues.

However, Red Bull boss Christian Horner has expressed optimism about Tsunoda's progress so far, hinting at a smooth transition into the Austrian team.

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Helmut Marko gives his take on Yuki Tsunoda's first outing with Red Bull

Despite falling short of a points finish, Yuki Tsunoda's debut stint with the senior team drew plenty of attention. Offering his assessment, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko weighed in on the young driver's performance throughout the weekend.

Talking to the media in the F1 post-race show, Marko addressed Tsunoda's debut, stating :

"I mean he lost out by qualifying; he made a mistake in turn 1, but in all the other sessions, he was pretty near- two to three tenths [of a second] to Max [Verstappen]. So, that's what we are looking for."

Previously, Marko confirmed that Tsunoda will continue with Red Bull for the remainder of the 2025 season. As such, the Japanese driver currently sits 14th in the standings with three points to his name, while his teammate sits in second place with 61 points.