Tsunoda admits RB21 ‘feeling a bit more tricky’ than expected

Yuki Tsunoda’s much-anticipated debut with Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix kicked off with a mix of promise and challenges as he got behind the wheel of the RB21 for the first time.

The Japanese driver, stepping in after Liam Lawson failed to impress after just two race weekends, offered a candid reflection on his opening day of running at his home circuit of Suzuka – a moment that was both symbolic and deeply personal for the Japanese driver.

Red Bull Racing’s new charger showcased flashes of potential, including an impressive FP1 performance, but also exposed the challenging nature of the former championship winning team’s machinery.

Tsunoda arrived at Suzuka with a baseline of confidence built from simulator sessions in the lead-up to the race weekend. Speaking during Thursday’s drivers’ press conference, he had set the stage for his expectations:

“Yeah. I mean, in simulator obviously it’s not fully correct in terms of trickiness of the car, but at least it didn’t feel crazy tricky,” he said.

“I know what kind of direction I want to start and it seems to be a good baseline in terms of overall performance. So yeah, it was a really good simulator session.”

However, the real-world experience on Friday told a different story. After his first laps around Suzuka, Tsunoda admitted that the RB21 presented a steeper challenge than the simulator had suggested.

“It's a bit different to the simulator, what I felt, to be honest, maybe a little bit more than I expected in terms of car feeling,” he said, quoted by motorsport.com.

“I knew anyway, [that it was] gonna be, you know, [it will] always be different in the real car, and it was just a little bit more exaggerated in the real car that's, yeah, feeling a bit more tricky.”

A Tale of Two Sessions: Strong FP1, Disrupted FP2

Tsunoda’s day was a study in contrasts. In FP1 he delivered an impressive sixth-fastest time, trailing his new teammate Max Verstappen by just 0.1 seconds – a promising start for a driver still finding his footing with the team.

“Yeah, FP1 was better than expected,” he said. “A good start for myself.”

The 24-year-old’s second session however was a different beast. The session was plagued by disruptions, including a red flag triggered by Alpine’s Jack Doohan crashing at Turn 1, a second stoppage when Fernando Alonso spun into the gravel, and a bizarre twist when patches of grass beside the track caught fire late in the hour.

Tsunoda finished 18th, unable to set a competitive lap time.

“FP2 I didn’t set a lap time. I think there is a lot of work to do, maybe slightly struggled or something that we have to look through the data in FP2 more, but so far overall it’s OK.

“I just have to build up confidence more,” he said, reflecting on his session.

With one final practice session left before qualifying on Saturday, Tsunoda remains grounded but optimistic.

The RB21 has proven to be a step up not just in performance, but also in complexity – and he knows that building confidence is key to unlocking its full potential.

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