In 75 years of F1 racing, no Japanese driver has ever won a Grand Prix. But with Yuki Tsunoda being promoted to top-tier Red Bull from their B-team, he has a legitimate shot.
Tsunoda made headlines this week, predicting a podium on his debut race with Red Bull in Japan. But even with the roar of the crowd behind him, the best Yuki could manage was a lowly P12.
Japanese carmaker Honda has been Red Bull’s engine supplier since 2019, with great success. The collaboration is ending this year (Red Bull is switching to Ford engines in 2026) so this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix was a final send off.
The RB21 had a special white and red livery in honour of Honda, and the other driver (Max Verstappen) took pole on Saturday and the big win on Sunday.
While it was a disappointment for Yuki not to even score a point at his home race, the team’s success was encouraging. The lone highlight for Yuki was the pass for position he put on Liam Lawson, the driver he just replaced in the Red Bull RB21. That was cool.
At least he was there. He’s young and hopefully has a long and successful career ahead of him.
Yeah, this is Yuki’s 5th year in Formula 1 so he plenty of shelf life left. But this was his first shot at the big team that’s won championships in 3 of the past 4 years. A golden opportunity.