Yuki Tsunoda is the Driver of the Day at the Japanese Grand Prix. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

Driver of The Day- Yuki Tsunoda has “Mixed Feelings” About the Japanese GP

Yuki Tsunoda is the Driver of the Day, but is the Japanese driver satisfied with his race?

Yuki Tsunoda is the Driver of the Day at the Japanese Grand Prix. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

Yuki Tsunoda had a less than favorable outing for Red Bull in his very first weekend for the Austrian outfit. The Japanese home hero was among the fan favorites this Sunday. Tsunoda inherited the second seat at Red bull from former teammate Liam Lawson. Even though, inital signs looked promising for him, the young Japanese could not bring himself to compete on par with Max Verstappen for his first race.

Tsunoda was outright beat in qualifying by Liam Lawson, even though he was just one step behind. He easily overtook Lawson during the race. Although, Tsunoda could improve his position in a race a lot.

The Japanese Grand Prix was less than a dream but more like a nightmare for Yuki Tsunoda. He was left incredibly frustrated with his first experience at Red Bull. Incidentally, Tsunoda was ready to bear all this pressure before the start of the weekend. He claimed that the Red Bull was suited to him and he could take on the unrealistic expectations from the team.

Yuki Tsunoda even had a special livery from Red Bull to celebrate his debut in Japan. Although, he could not do much justice to the white and red colors. In Yuki Tsunoda’s stead, Max Verstappen won the race to give Honda their last victory in Japan with Red Bull Racing.

Yuki Tsunoda Goes From Being Podium Favorite to Out of Points

The immediate switch between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull Racing gave fans a reason to discuss his performane. Tsunoda was performing incredibly well with the Racing Bulls. His performance and superior race pace of Red Bull Racing’s cars made fans believe that Tsunoda was on his way to a podium. The last time a Japanese driver won a podium in Japan was in 2012. But unfortunately, Yuki Tsunoda was no Kamui Kobayashi.

Your votes are in! 🗳️

It's Yuki Tsunoda who is @salesforce Driver of the Day at the Japanese Grand Prix 🇯🇵#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/vjjFCDeQb4
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025

Tsunoda did earn the Driver of The Day accolade for his efforts. But, his results did not speak for this new achievement. The commentators were left confused about his first award at Red Bull. Tsunoda only gained two positions in the race and could overtake the much slower cars in front of him. Yuki expressed his overview about the Japanese Grand Prix in a post-race interview-

“Mixed feelings. Obviously, the result is not the result I wanted. At least, I wanted to finish in the points this weekend. I think in Qualifying, I just have to do a bit better. I think the pace was there, I was just stuck in traffic all around.”

Red Bull’s advisor and driver management perpetrator, Helmut Marko was seemingly confident about Tsunoda. At least its good news for Yuki Tsunoda, he is not in the drop zone immediately.

Our Pick for The Driver of the Day

Yuki Tsunoda might me the fan favorite for the weekend. But, the driver who caught our attention in the Japanese Grand Prix was- Isack Hajdar. The Racing Bulls rookie from France had a lot on his plate this weekend. He was facing issues during the qualifying session throughout the race. Hajdar still managed to qualify seventh on the grid, ahead of his inspiration, Lewis Hamilton.

Bravo, Isack 👏

Isack Hadjar secures his first points in Formula 1 with a P8 finish at Suzuka#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/97H3gptOzO
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025

Isack Hajdar was immeditately overtaken by Lewis Hamilton but he hung on to his eigth position throughout the race. He was attacked by one of his Red Bull seniors. Alex Albon in his Williams kept lunging at Hajdar, but to no avail. In our eyes, Isack Hajdar with his phenomenal and stable performance deserves the Driver of the Day award. He has proved himself far more than any other driver this weekedn. People talked about his breakdown at the Australian GP. Now, they have a reason to talk about his incredible racing prowess against veterans at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Will Yuki Tsunoda bounce back or will Red Bull realise that their second seat is basically non-existent until they change their car? Follow The Playoffs to know more about the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Formula 1

Formula 1 2025 Season

Japanese Grand Prix

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Yuki Tsunoda

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.