Yuki Tsunoda Targets Podium Finish at Japanese GP After Red Bull Promotion

Yuki Tsunoda sets his sights on a podium finish at the Japanese Grand Prix after being promoted to Red Bull, replacing Liam Lawson.

Yuki Tsunoda has set his sights on a podium finish at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, following his surprise promotion to the Red Bull team. Tsunoda will partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen, replacing Liam Lawson, who was axed by Red Bull after just two races into the F1 season.

Tsunoda described his promotion as “unreal,” acknowledging the opportunity to drive for one of the top teams on the grid. He expressed his desire to make an immediate impact in front of his home crowd at Suzuka. “I don't want to raise expectations too much but I want to finish on the podium at this Japanese Grand Prix,” the 24-year-old said at an event with Red Bull partner Honda in Tokyo on Sunday.

Tsunoda's promotion comes after he stepped up from Red Bull's junior team, Racing Bulls (RB). He takes the place of Lawson, who has moved back down to RB, where he was last season. Notably, Tsunoda was overlooked for the Red Bull seat when Sergio Perez left the team at the end of last season, with Lawson being chosen instead.

Yuki Tsunoda expressed his gratitude for the support he has received, saying, “It has all fallen into place and now I'm standing here, and that's thanks to the support of everyone.” Despite never finishing on the podium in his four full seasons in F1, Tsunoda has shown promising pace in both race weekends this year.

Yuki Tsunoda is launching his original brand Venti Due ahead of the Japanese GP🤩

The brand name means “22” in Italian, a lucky number found on Tsunoda’s F1 car 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/GTWYEgjVIg

— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) March 31, 2025

Tsunoda's performance has been impressive, finishing 12th in the season opener at Melbourne and narrowly missing out on points at Shanghai due to Red Bull's flawed two-stop pit strategy. As he prepares for his Red Bull Grand Prix debut at Suzuka, Tsunoda urged Japanese fans to rally behind him. “The thing that I'm looking forward to most is that there couldn't be a more pressurised, challenging situation than this,” he said. “It's also my debut, so with all these things added up I think it's going to be an unbelievably exciting race.”

In contrast, Liam Lawson has struggled to make an impact, being knocked out in the first stage of all three qualifying sessions this season and failing to score a point. Tsunoda, however, downplayed the challenges of driving the Red Bull, saying, ”I didn't think it was that challenging a car to drive” after spending two days on a simulator. He added, “Everyone says the car is very responsive and I got that impression too, but it didn't seem to act in a strange, tricky manner.”