Tsunoda addresses 'intense' Red Bull move ahead of 'emotional' debut

Red Bull's new Formula 1 star Yuki Tsunoda has spoken publicly over his recent 'intense' promotion ahead of his home race at Suzuka this weekend.

The Japanese driver has been handed the opportunity to finally race alongside four-time champion Max Verstappen at the main team after Liam Lawson was demoted back to the junior outfit after struggling across the first two rounds of the 2025 season.

This year marked Tsunoda's fifth campaign with junior team Racing Bulls, and after consistently proving himself against his former team-mates, including Lawson, many fans were outraged that Red Bull didn't elect him for the seat initially.

Christian Horner and his Red Bull team have become known for their ruthless driver swaps, but despite Tsunoda being under a lot of pressure to extract a respectable performance from the RB21, F1 advisor Helmut Marko has stated that the 24-year-old will remain with the team for the duration of the season.

Yuki Tsunoda sets tempered expectations for Red Bull debut

Speaking to media during his first public appearance as a Red Bull F1 driver at the Honda Welcome Plaza in Tokyo this week, Tsunoda attempted to temper expectations ahead of his home race and debut with the main team.

"I don't want to create too many expectations, but in Japan I want to conquer the podium. In any case, I know it won't be easy from the start," he admitted.

The Red Bull star continued to discuss his chances at mastering the infamously tricky RB21, saying: "My priority is to understand the car, comparing it with the Racing Bulls. If I can have fun, the results will come accordingly.

"If I am honest: I never expected to race for Red Bull at Suzuka. Also, this is the last year of collaboration between the team and Honda. So racing with this team is a sign of destiny: all the pieces fit together in the right way to allow me to be here today. It all seemed so unreal to me.

"There are not many moments in life when you have to face such intense pressure, but rarely does such an important opportunity come along. It will be an emotional race."

To celebrate Honda's last home race with Red Bull, the team have brought back the iconic all-white livery, previously seen at the 2021 Turkish GP, and it is set to be a memorable first race for Tsunoda.

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