Manami Yamada/Reuters via Imagn Images

Yuki Tsunoda Still Adjusting To Red Bull: ‘It’s Like a Science Room’

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alexandra Lange | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 5:14 PM ET

Yuki Tsunoda made his long-awaited Red Bull debut last weekend on home soil at Suzuka. While failing to finish in the points, the Japanese driver wasn’t far off from teammate Max Verstappen’s lap times in practice.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said the new Red Bull driver’s debut race and P12 finish was “solid,” emphasizing the importance of qualifying at a circuit like Suzuka.

The F1 grid is back on the road and ready for another race this weekend at Bahrain. During media day, the former Racing Bulls driver was asked what he learned from last weekend and how he feels about the upcoming race.

“I’m much calmer now,” he said. Now I know how the car behaves, a least a little bit, compared to how I started last week.

Tsunoda shared that he’s excited to get back in the car and continue to learn more with each lap, revealing a few key takeaways he’s had so far.

“The main learning in terms of car’s set-up, I would say maybe I have to take a little bit of a different approach than how I used to take in the Racing Bulls. The set-up I used to like, the car balance,” he said. “I think the car is able to achieve the same balance that I used to have at Racing Bulls, but it not always helps the performance. I just have to dig in further, I just don’t know what set-up will make the car faster.”

️| Yuki affirms that the Japanese Grand Prix was crazy and explains that he learns the setup cars the most. #YT22 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/hu6jWq8GsF
— Hawk (@Hawk9248) April 10, 2025

Tsunoda concluded saying, “[The car] feels like a science room with lots of chemicals where sometimes it goes good, sometimes it goes bad. I think it’s just natural, because jumping into a completely new car [there is] always this up and down.”

The F1 grid returns to Bahrain this Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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