After two rounds in each car, Yuki Tsunoda has divulged the quite drastic differences between the Racing Bulls and Red Bull 2025 Formula 1 machines.
Tsunoda was called up to the Red Bull squad in time for his home race in Japan, swapping with Liam Lawson with the hope he could find his feet with the tricky RB21 better than the inexperienced New Zealander.
A Q2 exit at Suzuka set the tone for a fruitless return in the Japanese Grand Prix, but in Bahrain, where the RB21’s tyre deg and through corner balance issues were heavily exposed, Tsunoda took a step forward.
He joined team-mate Max Verstappen in Q3 and converted his 10th-place starting berth into a ninth-place finish.
Having now had two rounds in each car, Tsunoda was probed on what the differences are between the VCARB 02 and the RB21.
“It’s not the same really,” he told select media, including Motorsport Week.
“The thing is that to be in the window that the car performs, VCARB has much wider range, so whatever you’re doing almost, that car is able to operate quite well with any kind of balance.
“Red Bull has probably a specific kind of setup and the window, the tyre and everything.
“That narrow window is really hard to find.
“That kind of difference for me is quite big, because I never thought about warm-up and how to warm-up and set-up.
“So that sort of stuff is just currently the most difficult part to learn for myself.”
Tsunoda building ‘confidence’ with Red Bull RB21
Despite acknowledging the difficulty in finding the RB21’s operating window, Tsunoda’s confidence with the Red Bull machine is improving.
Tsunoda explained how step-by-step, he will experiment with the Red Bull in order to develop further with the RB21.
“Yeah, confidence for the car, like I said, I think it’s quite good,” he opined.
“I just have to understand about this car more, to operate in the window this car wants, and that’s the most difficult part.
“Those things will come with experience, just experience really.
“So I have to step by step, every weekend I’m trying different sort of stuff, and sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes bad.
“But I think those kind of up and down things are quite normal for me, so I just take time and progress like this rhythm.
“Maybe in Saudi I’ll do the same.
“If the same thing happens, maybe practice, I’m not in good shape, but I’m happy that I’m able to be aggressive on trying something and progress forward.
“I won’t rush it, but so far I’m happy with how fast I am able to progress.”
Tsunoda is showing a strong mental resolve and a pragmatic approach to adapting to the Red Bull, which no doubt will be wonderful for the team’s chiefs to witness, and bring confidence that their decision to draft him was the correct one.
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda ‘naturally close’ on set-up with Max Verstappen at Red Bull
