13 hours Ago By Pablo Hidalgo
Yuki Tsunoda finished just over a tenth behind Max Verstappen in fifth in their first session together as Red Bull teammates. The Japanese driver felt comfortable with the RB21 right from the start at his home Grand Prix, and the data suggests that the decision to replace Liam Lawson may have been the right one. Tsunoda has exceeded expectations in his debut with Red Bull.
With a run plan very similar to that of Verstappen, he appears to have found the rhythm that Liam Lawson was unable to find in his first two and only races with the RB21. Although there’s still a noticeable lack of confidence – particularly through the fast opening corners in Sector 1 of Suzuka – the former Racing Bulls driver ended the session in sixth place, just a tenth behind the Dutchman. Tsunoda’s Sector 2 was very strong – even better than Max’s.
And the differences in the short Sector 3 were minimal, with Verstappen once again having the edge thanks to his superior entry and use of the kerb at Turn 16. Despite lacking Verstappen’s confidence and aggressive turn-in style, the Japanese driver appears to have found a balance that allows for better exit acceleration – particularly through the tricky Turn 14 before the back straight leading to 130R. This was something Lawson struggled with in both Australia and China.
The RB21’s sharp front end made it difficult for him, first to attack the apex, and then to find traction on corner exit, even when sacrificing turn-in. Tsunoda, at least on this circuit, seems to have the upper hand in that area. To help him find an initial positive feeling, Red Bull appears to have opted for a slightly higher-downforce setup on Tsunoda’s car.
The Japanese driver was two kilometres per hour slower in top speed than Max Verstappen. That said, in terms of the long run – and it’s always important to highlight that fuel loads and engine modes are unknown – Tsunoda did seem to struggle more with consistency. He was, on average, four tenths per lap slower than Max, and also ended up behind both Racing Bulls.
All of them fitted the soft tyres to assess degradation, as Suzuka is a high deg track where we could see the soft tyre being used for the first time this season in the race. Strategic battles between the two and three stopper might be interesting if the race occurs under dry conditions. 👉 Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari receive FIA warning after Japanese GP breach 👉 Villeneuve’s ‘desperation’ theory following Doohan’s huge Japan GP shunt Red Bull seems to have got it right.
.. for now.
The Japanese driver has certainly shown better early signs in his first two sessions with the Milton Keynes outfit than Liam Lawson did across two full race weekends. Even so, his true test will come in qualifying, when everyone – Verstappen included – unleashes their full potential at Suzuka. That’s when the early smiles will either be confirmed or wiped away.
Read next: Yuki Tsunoda’s telling first Red Bull RB21 verdict after swapping sim for real deal.
