Since Yuki Tsunoda joined Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix, Christian Horner has actively supported the young Japanese driver in comparisons with Max Verstappen. Since replacing Liam Lawson, Horner has praised Tsunoda for his confidence and performance after his first three races with the team.
Horner backs Tsunoda despite tough first three races.
Tsunoda has had a difficult first three races since swapping with Lawson from VCARB to the Red Bull senior team. Tsunoda has struggled after the first three races of the season. His best finish position has been P9 at the Bahrain Grand Prix, and after a DNF finish at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, the Japanese driver has had to reset before this week in Miami.
However, despite the difficult start to his campaign at Red Bull, Team Principal Christian Horner backed Tsunoda. Horner said, “He’s brought a really positive energy into the team,” after being asked about where he is lacking compared to his teammate.
“It’s difficult to pinpoint any one particular area. Like all these things, it’s always little bits across a lap. But he’s finding his feet, he’s brought a decent amount of experience, and he’s giving good feedback. I have to say, he’s brought a really positive energy into the team – he’s quite a character – and he’s certainly rapid. I think as he finds confidence, we’ll see him move further up the grid.”
When questioned about his TPC test in Silverstone last week, Horner said, “It was useful” for the Japanese driver.
“It was just an opportunity for Yuki to spend a bit more time with the engineering staff. His mileage had been very limited with Red Bull Racing. So doing a TPC with a couple-of-years-old car gave him the opportunity to get more familiar with the engineering team and procedures at Red Bull. The British weather intervened – there was rain in the morning – but he managed to get a few laps in. So it was useful.”
Horner further praises Verstappen’s performance.
Despite the Red Bull car being less dominant than in past seasons, Verstappen continues to deliver strong and consistent performances. Horner has acknowledged the Dutch driver’s consistency, saying his performance “continues to surprise us with the levels he can hit”, highlighting Verstappen’s ability to maximise the car’s potential under pressure.
“Max has been operating at such a high level for a long time now, even back to 2020 and 2021. He continues to surprise us with the levels he can hit. Saudi was unfortunate with the first corner for us, but most the encouraging thing about that race was the pace – both on the Medium and Hard tyres – we had the pace over McLaren, probably for the first time in race conditions this year.”
“His ability to wring every ounce of performance out of the car. When you’re really back to the wall – that last set of tyres in Q3 – that’s the pressure point where the greats step up. And that’s what we see time and time again. He’s just comfortable in that zone and delivers at an unbelievable level.”
Verstappen welcomes new daughter ahead of weekend.
Ahead of the Miami GP, Verstappen and his partner Kelly Piquet welcomed their daughter, Lily. Verstappen missed Thursday’s media day and arrived late Thursday evening.
When asked about a potential performance knock to Verstappen after this, Horner responded, saying, I don’t think so. He’s a pretty measured guy.“
Horner added, “He’s got a stepdaughter as well. He’s just very measured. He enjoys family life and for him it’s business as usual.”
“He’s proud, of course. It’s a great thing for him and Kelly to welcome a baby girl – a different achievement and perspective in life – but it’s great for him and for his family.”
