Red Bull's Tsunoda Struggles in Qualifying but Horner Backs Him to Bounce Back

Yuki Tsunoda expressed frustration after qualifying 15th for the Japanese Grand Prix, but Red Bull principal Christian Horner has backed him to bounce back on Sunday.

Yuki Tsunoda, making his debut with Red Bull, expressed disappointment after qualifying 15th for the Japanese Grand Prix, held in his home country. Tsunoda's performance was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that he was outqualified by Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced, who secured 14th place.

Tsunoda's qualifying session came to an end in Q2, as he failed to advance to the final round. This outcome was not the ideal start to his tenure with Red Bull, especially given the significance of competing in his home Grand Prix. Tsunoda acknowledged feeling “some frustration” with his performance, which will undoubtedly motivate him to improve in the upcoming race.

Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese driver, has demonstrated promise during practice sessions this week. However, he was unable to capitalize on this potential during the qualifying session, expressing his disappointment at not being able to “put it together” when it mattered most. “There's some frustration today,” Tsunoda admitted.

Tsunoda reflected on the events leading up to his disappointing result, citing a warm-up session that did not go as planned. “I think the warmup didn't go as I wanted for that final lap, and it was pretty messy, especially in the first sector,” he explained. Furthermore, Tsunoda acknowledged that the team is still in the process of learning and adapting, which contributed to the disappointing outcome. “We are still learning, and I thought the warmup was OK, and we would maybe be a little compromised, but the penalty was pretty big,” he said.

Tsunoda's promotion from Red Bull's sister team, AlphaTauri, was announced last week, with Liam Lawson moving in the opposite direction. Despite the disappointing result, Tsunoda expressed confidence in his ability to adapt to the new car. “My confidence in the car feels good now,” he stated. Tsunoda also highlighted the positives from the weekend, noting that he has started to develop a better understanding of the car. “I think the positive is I have started to understand the car well now,” he said. “FP1 and FP3 felt good, and I started well today; it was just that final lap.”

OUT IN Q2 👇

Not the session Yuki Tsunoda would have been hoping for 😢#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/L4DNfR2IzV

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2025

The decision by Red Bull to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda was met with criticism from some quarters. Notably, Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen expressed his displeasure with the move. Verstappen's endorsement of a social media post slamming the decision was seen as a clear indication of his sentiments. “It speaks for itself,” Verstappen said, leaving little doubt about his views on the matter.

Red Bull principal Christian Horner offered his support to Tsunoda, who endured a disappointing qualifying session. Horner acknowledged that Tsunoda had been performing well throughout the weekend, only to be undone by a small mistake in the first sector. “It was unfortunate for Yuki, who lost a couple of tenths in the first sector that cost him a chance of Q3,” Horner explained. Despite this setback, Horner expressed confidence in Tsunoda's ability to bounce back during the race. “He's settled in well and has been right there all weekend until that moment. He will race well from there tomorrow,” Horner predicted.