Yuki Tsunoda struggled in his first qualifying session as a Red Bull driver on Saturday, securing 14th place on the grid. The Japanese driver was aiming for a strong result in his home Grand Prix at Suzuka but faced challenges throughout the session.
“I felt OK in terms of pressure,” Tsunoda said. “The mindset was to just enjoy it and feel the car. I didn’t expect to end up like this today.”
Despite the disappointing result, Tsunoda remained positive. “The good thing is that I’m starting to understand the car better. It’s quite challenging to operate this car properly, but now I have more confidence in it and know what to do next,” he added.
Tsunoda initially qualified 15th but was promoted to 14th after Williams’ Carlos Sainz received a three-place penalty for impeding Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda’s teammate, Max Verstappen, showed the strength of the Red Bull car. The Dutch driver claimed pole position with a lap time of 1:26.983, edging out Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri from McLaren.
“This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here,” Verstappen said. “But we focus on tomorrow. There might be some rain, but we will do our best.” Verstappen has now taken pole in the last four editions of the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
Liam Lawson, the driver Tsunoda replaced at Red Bull, qualified ahead of him in 13th place for Racing Bulls. Lawson also benefited from Sainz’s penalty, which moved him up one spot.
Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Tsunoda remained optimistic about his chances, especially with rain possibly impacting the race. “Anything can happen in those conditions,” he said.
Despite a tough qualifying session, Tsunoda’s positive outlook shows that he is prepared to face the challenges ahead.
