Tsunoda insists he can bring unruly Red Bull F1 car under control

New Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda doesn’t expect the tricky characteristics of the team’s Formula 1 car to be a problem for him.

Tsunoda has earned promotion to Red Bull’s main outfit from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards after Liam Lawson spectacularly failed to get up to speed with the delicate RB21 machine, while the Japanese racer had a convincing first couple of F1 rounds with Racing Bulls in 2025 – though strategy miscalculations prevented him from scoring Sunday points.

Max Verstappen’s previous four team-mates – including Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon and Sergio Perez – all struggled to make the most of Red Bull’s oversteery F1 cars, with much emphasis on the front axle and a nervous rear end requiring quite a specific driving style.

However, Tsunoda seems to believe this challenge has been blown out of proportion, and is confident he can adapt his own driving style to succeed.

Asked how he felt after driving the RB21 in the simulator, Tsunoda said: “Rather than it being an extremely difficult car, I felt that the set-up philosophy was completely different. I had to slightly adjust my approach compared to how I usually set up the car at Racing Bulls.

Yuki Tsunoda at the Red Bull Showrun Taichung

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

He added: “People often say Red Bull cars tend to have strong front-end grip. I personally love cars that turn aggressively, and in the past, I adapted my driving style to that kind of set-up.

“Racing Bulls traditionally had cars that understeered a bit more, which was challenging for me at first. But I got used to it and it eventually became my norm. Now, the key will be adjusting to Red Bull’s characteristics again, but considering my past experience, I’m not too worried about it.”

Tsunoda is aware, nonetheless, that no midseason switch is ever easy, and is therefore keeping expectations in check for the upcoming race at Suzuka.

Asked whether he could become Japan’s first grand prix winner, Tsunoda admitted: “There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to maximise my performance in this car just yet. However, since it’s a top team, I believe that if I can extract the car’s full potential, the opportunities will come.

“The key will be how well I can understand the car and maximise its performance within the limited time of FP1. Heading into the Japanese Grand Prix, my goal is to reach Q3 and secure a top 10 finish.”