Yuki Tsunoda qualified in an incredible fifth place for Racing Bulls at the 2025 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, with a little bit of help from polesitter Lando Norris.
The McLaren driver made it a one-two for the Woking-based squad, with the home-favourite Oscar Piastri behind him in second place and Max Verstappen in third.
However, the shock of Q3 came after Tsunoda managed to put the VCARB 02 onto the third row after qualifying in fifth.
With Alex Albon in the Williams joining him in the top six, the Japanese driver managed to out qualify both of the Ferrari drivers.
His Racing Bulls team-mate, Isack Hadjar, finished the session in a respectable position of 11th place, in what turned out to be an impressive start to the season for the Faenza-based outfit.
Tsunoda was ecstatic after a strong qualifying session, but he credited Norris afterwards as he revealed how the British driver contributed to his majestic lap.
“I’m very happy with the results,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“I was able to make a step, session by session. I think the last lap was definitely the best quality lap out of any session so far.
“But also I got a bit of luck from Lando as well – a bit of tow into Turn 9 – I definitely appreciate that.
“I think, overall, [it was] a bit of a magical lap. Thanks to the team as well.”
Tsunoda: Close midfield battle makes F1 ‘thrilling’
It was a challenging winter for Tsunoda after he was bypassed by Red Bull for a seat beside reigning champion Verstappen.
Therefore, this result is sure to bring a smile to the Sagamihara-born racing driver.
When asked about his performance, Tsunoda noted that the fierce competition in the midfield made the outcome even more satisfying.
“The more I build the pace, and you see in lap times, I’m able to improve session by session,” he explained.
“Definitely, I was enjoying it a lot, the car was fast.
“You kind of get used to it with this kind of tight field. Especially last year, [the] midfield was very tight.
“I knew that if I make an amazing lap, it can be very good.
“But also if you have a mistake, it can be a lot of compromise. So that’s kind of thrilling; I definitely enjoyed it a lot.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, where wet weather conditions are forecasted for the start, Tsunoda explained how the team is prepared for the anticipated tricky racing conditions.
He added: “Actually, we also prepared for the rain conditions as well. So to be honest, in terms of setup, it’s not 100% focused into the dry conditions.
“Even in rain conditions, we’re kind of confident, to be honest.
“And last [time], we had a really good performance for the intermediate as well. So any condition, I’m pretty confident.”
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