Yuki Tsunoda has admitted that his instincts from Formula 1’s previous generation of cars contributed to his contact with Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad at the start of the Dutch GP Sprint. Returning to an F1 cockpit after eight months away, Tsunoda underestimated how much less grip the 2026 cars provide and was surprised by how early several drivers slowed for Zandvoort’s first corner.
The Japanese driver has nevertheless made an encouraging return to the Formula 1 grid. Tsunoda qualified 12th for the Dutch Grand Prix, just two positions behind Lindblad, and now hopes to help Racing Bulls in its constructors’ championship fight by challenging for points on Sunday.
Yuki Tsunoda enjoys Racing Bulls return after eight months away
Tsunoda suddenly found himself back in the Formula 1 paddock after having accepted his position as Red Bull’s third driver. His return came amid Isack Hadjar’s absence, with the injured driver even sending Yuki Tsunoda a message ahead of his F1 comeback.
At the end of qualifying at Zandvoort, Tsunoda secured 12th place on the grid for Racing Bulls, two positions behind team-mate Arvid Lindblad. The gap between them was four tenths of a second, a significant margin, but it also has to be viewed in the context of this being Tsunoda’s first competitive weekend in a 2026 Formula 1 car beyond the preparation he had previously completed in the simulator.
“I’m really happy with today’s result. It’s the first time I’ve really been back in the car after eight months and I enjoyed every minute,” Yuki Tsunoda said.
“During the session I stayed very focused on myself and on the areas where I could improve. I really enjoyed the process of finding the limit and understanding where I could push.
“It would have been nice to get into Q3, but at the end of qualifying everything was incredibly close. We’re really close to the points for tomorrow, so the goal is to give it everything, take every opportunity and enjoy it as much as possible.”
Tsunoda says Grand Prix qualifying was his first real chance to attack
Tsunoda has received a warm welcome back from the Faenza-based team where he spent several years developing his Formula 1 career. He believes Q3 was potentially within reach but deliberately avoided pushing beyond a sensible limit, knowing that a mistake could prove particularly costly while he was still adapting to the car.
The Japanese driver explained that Grand Prix qualifying felt considerably more demanding than Sprint Qualifying because his confidence in the VCARB03 had begun to grow.
“Grand Prix qualifying was more of a test because I’m starting to trust the car and throw it into the corners, whereas I approached Sprint Qualifying more like a fourth free practice session because I still had a lot to learn.”
The Sprint itself was particularly valuable because it gave Tsunoda 24 consecutive racing laps in which to understand the new-generation car, its energy deployment and the procedures that have changed significantly since he last competed.
“This year every procedure, every aspect of deployment management is very different. So I think it was important to do the Sprint race,” Yuki Tsunoda explained.
“And during those 24 laps, on every single lap I was able to understand something. I think I showed that in qualifying because in every session I was getting closer and closer. I could have used one more session, but now I’m thinking about the race.”
2026 car catches Tsunoda out after using old braking references
Tsunoda has always been an instinctive driver, and he openly acknowledged just how different the 2026 machinery initially felt compared with the cars he had previously driven.
“I got into the VCARB03 simulator and the first thing I felt was that when I braked like last year, I regularly ended up in the wall. I was always in the air.”
That difference became particularly relevant at the start of the Sprint. Tsunoda made fairly heavy contact with Lindblad as the field approached Turn 1, having initially judged the braking zone using references more appropriate to the previous generation of Formula 1 cars.
Tsunoda apologises to Arvid Lindblad after Sprint contact
“Well, I was literally going into the corner like I did last year,” Yuki Tsunoda admitted. “I’d forgotten that there’s less grip with these cars. I have to be very careful and I apologise to Arvid.”
“But I was quite surprised by how many drivers slowed down for the first corner much more than I expected. At the start of the Grand Prix I’ll be more cautious.”
There was at least one positive aspect to the incident from Tsunoda’s perspective: his initial launch had been strong.
“The positive thing is that I made a good start. Don’t forget that at the beginning of the championship there were drivers who struggled with their starts.”
His approach throughout the weekend has therefore been based primarily on accumulating mileage rather than immediately attempting to extract every last fraction of performance from a car he is still learning.
“This weekend I’ve tried to avoid major mistakes, going off the track or things like that, and simply run consistently to get used to the car as quickly as possible,” Yuki Tsunoda said.
“And with that, I also want to thank Red Bull — sorry,” he added with a smile, correcting himself, “Racing Bulls. They have a pretty good car. It has a good balance and that has helped me as well.”
Yuki Tsunoda targets points from 12th at Dutch GP
Tsunoda knows he could immediately make a useful contribution to Racing Bulls’ championship campaign. The team sits fifth in the constructors’ standings and is fighting Alpine, making every points-scoring opportunity important during the second half of the season.
The circumstances behind Tsunoda’s unexpected return have added another storyline to the Zandvoort weekend, with the details of Isack Hadjar’s Dutch GP injury having opened the door for the Japanese driver’s comeback.
On Sunday, Tsunoda will start 12th, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly only one position ahead. That leaves the Racing Bulls driver close enough to the top 10 to believe points are a realistic target.
“We can fight for points. I’d like to make my contribution…” Yuki Tsunoda said.
After using Sprint Qualifying largely as an additional learning session and then gaining valuable experience over the 24-lap Sprint, Tsunoda heads into the Dutch Grand Prix with a much clearer understanding of the 2026 car. The challenge now is to convert that rapid adaptation into a points-scoring result for Racing Bulls.
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