Yuki Tsunoda already pumped for Suzuka: “I can’t wait to race at home as a Red Bull driver”. The official Red Bull team account shared Yuki Tsunoda’s first ‘video message’ on social media.

With New Colors
Of course, debuting in Red Bull at this moment is not the easiest thing to do in Formula 1. However, Yuki Tsunoda probably couldn’t have wished for a better start to his first race as a Milton Keynes driver: the Japanese driver will make his debut as Max Verstappen’s teammate in his home race, at the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka Circuit.

It’s the ultimate for a talent sponsored by Honda, and it’s the Japanese manufacturer that has financed him even in this latest step of his career, providing Red Bull with a significant sum to help promote him in place of New Zealander Liam Lawson, who will take the opposite route and race in Japan as a Racing Bulls driver.

First Words as a Red Bull Driver
Yuki Tsunoda didn’t waste any time and, through Red Bull’s official social media channel, he quickly wanted to energize his fans by announcing his first race at Suzuka in his new suit: “Hi everyone, it’s Yuki,” he said in a video in his native language. “I can’t wait to race at my home Grand Prix with Red Bull.”

This is obviously a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for #22, but it’s also a special moment for Japanese fans who are eagerly waiting for the chance to see a fellow countryman at the wheel of a top-tier car in the Circus. In the history of F1, only three Japanese drivers have made it to the podium, the last being Kamui Kobayashi in 2012 at Suzuka. Yuki Tsunoda will have – if Helmut Marko allows it – at least 22 Grands Prix to try and match this feat or, who knows, improve on it.