Yuki Tsunoda believes he can succeed where others have failed and challenge Max Verstappen. Red Bull had already considered Yuki Tsunoda last December but ultimately chose Lawson.

Tsunoda’s Big Challenge
This is the week of Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull debut. He has been chosen to break the curse that has plagued Verstappen’s teammates since 2019. The task is daunting, but the Japanese driver has the determination and the tools to take it on. His real challenge won’t be the world champion himself, but rather a car that constantly operates on a razor’s edge. Mastering the RB21 will be the key to Tsunoda’s career at Red Bull—ideally without trying to emulate Verstappen’s driving style, as advised by one of the few drivers who has genuinely challenged “Super Max.”

Tsunoda’s Confidence
Red Bull arrives in Japan desperately in need of two strong drivers. The urgency goes beyond just scoring points with both cars to keep their slim constructors’ championship hopes alive. Milton Keynes also needs a reliable second reference point to aid in race weekend preparations. While the RB21 is more forgiving than its 2024 predecessor, it remains unpredictable and tricky to fine-tune. Despite Verstappen’s feedback, any additional input is valuable for the team.

Red Bull had already considered Yuki Tsunoda last December but ultimately chose Lawson. In an interview with FormulaPassion during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Tsunoda displayed confidence about a potential promotion to Milton Keynes: “I’m confident I could impress, I could do things they don’t expect. I’m not worried about keeping up with Max—I’m more focused on showing my potential.” When asked what exactly could exceed expectations, Yuki replied firmly: “Performance. I’m confident that Max and I could battle. I know many don’t believe that, but in my heart, I feel I could. That’s why I’ll keep proving people wrong, just as I have in recent seasons.” However, his success will depend less on raw talent and more on his ability to tame an extremely difficult car.

The Challenge
Tsunoda has a solid track record, but before him, Gasly, Albon, Perez, and Lawson all struggled—despite their abilities. Before or after their Red Bull stints, most of them proved their worth in other teams. The real problem lies with a car that behaves uniquely—not designed entirely around Verstappen, but certainly tailored to his preferences.

Every driver wants a sharp front end that responds instantly to steering and follows the intended line. Red Bull and Max Verstappen take this to the extreme, seeking an ultra-sensitive front that borders on instability, making it difficult to control. While Verstappen exploits this razor-thin margin to attack corners aggressively, others struggle with errors that erode their confidence, forcing them to rationalize their driving instead of relying on instinct. This costs them precious tenths of a second—an enormous gap in today’s ultra-competitive Formula 1, where 16 drivers were separated by just one second in Q1 in China.

Lately, some have questioned whether the Racing Bulls car is actually better than the Red Bull. It’s not a matter of outright performance but rather usability. It’s the age-old trade-off between peak performance and ease of use, between a car’s ultimate limit and how accessible that limit is. The Racing Bulls car is designed for rookies, meaning it must be intuitive and forgiving. Red Bull’s car, on the other hand, has higher potential but is much harder to extract—a challenge that cost Liam Lawson his seat and now awaits Tsunoda.

Advice from an Ex-Teammate
One might think the best way to master the Red Bull is to learn directly from Verstappen. But others suggest the opposite: “First, you need to focus on yourself rather than your teammate—even if, indirectly, this helps both drivers improve,” said Daniel Ricciardo in an interview with FormulaPassion last August. “At Red Bull, I was very comfortable. I had a great relationship with the engineers, and every time I hit the track, I felt confident.”

The Australian remains the only teammate who truly matched Verstappen at Red Bull. His secret? Accepting that Verstappen’s driving style is nearly impossible to replicate and finding his own path: “You can certainly learn from him, but copying what he does is difficult. He executes it at such a high level that it’s unlikely anyone can replicate it. You can take lessons from him, but you still need to rely on your own strengths.”

Now, it’s up to Tsunoda to apply that advice, knowing that mistakes will be part of the process. The key will be maintaining confidence and trusting his instincts—provided Red Bull gives him enough time.