10/04/2025
NEWS STORY
After a full weekend in the RB21, Yuki Tsunoda admits that it is "incredible" how his teammate is able to deal with the car.
Many have tried and many have failed, and after just one race sections of the media are already asking if the latest incumbent of the second Red Bull seat is up to the job, while a somewhat naive Isack Hadjar ponders possible promotion.
From the outside, having qualified 15th last weekend and finished the race 12th the Japanese looked set to be the latest in a growing list of drivers destroyed by a car which, according to many, is purpose built for someone else.
However, after a full weekend in the car, the race being his longest ever stint, Tsunoda is feeling more confident, whilst expressing admiration for his teammate's skills.
"In terms of how I got on in the car, it's too early to say I'm able to drive comfortably or not," the Japanese told reporters in Bahrain today. "But I think I'm able to cope with the car balance that most drivers struggle with so far.
"Actually, we went to Max's side rather than my set-up," he revealed, "which I thought would be good. Surprisingly, I'm able to drive quite well so I'm happy with it so far.
"The direction we tried in the simulator, which was a bit different from China to focus on calming down the rear, and the set-up we concluded in the end I felt was good.
"Also, Max felt pretty positive in the simulator, so in the end, Max started with that direction which I quite liked as well already at Suzuka. I went for a more extreme side in that direction and it just didn't work out.
"It's not like the set-up that Max used in China," he explained, "China was a bit more specific because it was more front-end limitation. But Max's set-up helps the rear and I think that set-up probably in the simulator I feel definitely the trickiness.
"It's incredible how he's able to cope with that kind of set-up," he admitted.
Comparing the RB to the Red Bull, he said: "It's a different approach. I feel like VCARB will tell us how to do it, and Red Bull is more like they can adjust it from the out lap. It's quite a different approach there and I wouldn't say which is better or not, to be honest.
"There are a couple of things that feel like VCARB has an easier approach for the driver, more than Red Bull. But I think Max has had that approach for nine years, so he's just able to naturally do it.
"I probably have a little bit of digging to work out what kind of approach I should take, and it's an ongoing process, how we can do better as a team to make it a little bit easier."