Tsunoda targets Japan podium after "unreal" Red Bull F1 switch

Yuki Tsunoda says he is targeting a podium spot at next week's Japanese Grand Prix as he reacts to his shock Red Bull switch for the remainder of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

As anticipated by Autosport in China last weekend, Red Bull confirmed on Thursday that it would promote Tsunoda to the seat alongside Max Verstappen meaning Liam Lawson is back at Racing Bulls after two difficult weekends in Melbourne and Shanghai.

But Tsunoda was fearful the chance to drive for Red Bull would never happen after four years and two grands prix with its satellite team. Yet, having made an excellent start to 2025, the Japanese driver is now getting the nod right in time for his home race at Suzuka.

Speaking in public for the first time since the move was announced at a Honda event in its Aoyama headquarters, Tsunoda said the switch felt “'unreal” but he is still highly ambitious for his debut.

"To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix," Tsunoda said.

"This is the final year of Red Bull and Honda’s partnership, so getting to race in Suzuka as a Red Bull Racing driver feels like fate. Everything has fallen into place in just the right way for me to be standing here today.

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

“Of course, I was happy about joining Red Bull, but when I thought about it carefully, the idea of suddenly racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix felt so unreal.

"I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium. That said, I know it won’t be easy right from the start.

“My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB. If I can naturally enjoy driving it as I get familiar with it in FP1, then the results will follow. And if that leads to a podium finish, that would be incredible."

Tsunoda has never driven the RB21, so making his debut in Japan could be labelled a poisoned chalice. But the 24-year-old says he is embracing the enormous pressure that comes with the seat, despite its history of chewing up drivers.

"When I first got the call, I thought: 'Wow, this is going to be interesting,'" he said. "More than anything, I’m excited about the challenge ahead.

“There aren’t many moments in life where you face this kind of extreme pressure and an opportunity as big as this, so I can only imagine that it’s going to be an incredibly thrilling race.

Yuki Tsunoda at the Red Bull Showrun Taichung

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

"At first, I was too busy to even take the time to fully appreciate the excitement. I had to jump straight into the simulator, do seat fittings, and take care of a lot of other preparations.

“Of course, getting promoted to Red Bull is an amazing opportunity, but before anything else, I wanted to talk to my engineers and the people who had supported me. So, despite all the emotions, I actually felt quite calm.

"Since I was a reserve driver this year, I had already done a seat fitting before. But back then, I remember thinking: 'Why am I even doing this? I’m not going to be racing anyway.'"

From his simulator time, Tsunoda said he didn't find this year’s Red Bull "that challenging to drive", although he admitted his comments on last year's car - which he tested in Abu Dhabi - suiting his driving style was "a bit of a sales pitch" to Red Bull.

"I spent about two days in the simulator. From that experience, I didn’t find the car to be that challenging to drive," he explained.

"I definitely got the impression that the front-end is very responsive, as people often say. But if you ask whether it felt tricky to handle, I wouldn’t say it gave me a particularly strange feeling, at least in the simulator.

"Of course, how I want to set up the car is probably different from Max. I want to develop my own car set-up, get a good understanding of it, and gradually get up to speed from FP1."

When Tsunoda's mentor, former WTCC driver Ryo Michigami, said he didn't want to put too much pressure on him, he jokingly replied: "Yes, please pile on the expectations and pressure!"