Lots of of Formulation 1 followers lined the streets of Tokyo for one final probability to go to Honda’s Aoyama headquarters, the elegant white high-rise a stone’s throw away from the Olympic Stadium that hosted the 2021 summer time video games.
The enduring Aoyama constructing is ready to be closed and redeveloped, with a brand new, state-of-the-art headquarters to be constructed by 2030 on the identical website. Sunday’s closing ceremony celebrated each the constructing’s wealthy historical past and that of a brand new starting for Honda Motor Firm.
However Sunday’s occasion wasn’t simply the celebration of a contemporary begin for Honda, but in addition for its favorite son Yuki Tsunoda. Simply days earlier, the 24-year-old was introduced as a Pink Bull driver for the rest of 2025 changing the underperforming Liam Lawson, swapping seats from subsequent weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
As Honda’s partnership with Pink Bull is ready to finish this 12 months earlier than it joins Aston Martin in 2026, the crew’s preliminary determination to advertise Lawson as an alternative of Tsunoda meant a Pink Bull transfer appeared like it might by no means occur for the latter.
Tsunoda joined the Pink Bull junior crew in 2019 within the wake of the crew’s Honda deal and with the blessing of the producer, he was promoted to an AlphaTauri F1 seat in 2021 – Honda and Pink Bull then hoped to shine a uncooked diamond right into a future Pink Bull driver.
That 12 months a rookie Tsunoda confirmed some flashes of brilliance that acquired him by means of the ranks, but in addition solid a fame of being too scorching beneath the collar and never succesful sufficient of creating the automobile by means of exact technical suggestions.
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT02
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Pictures
Regardless of 4 years of constant development, that fame appeared exhausting to shake off, even internally at Pink Bull. Whereas members of AlphaTauri, now Racing Bulls, have been showering reward on how Tsunoda has matured right into a crew chief, there appeared little he might do to persuade the likes of Christian Horner that he’s now not the uncooked supply materials, however the finish product.
Tsunoda placed on a courageous face in public, however being missed by Pink Bull 12 months after 12 months was vastly irritating. He even appeared heartbroken throughout the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix weekend after he was introduced for an unprecedented fifth 12 months on the satellite tv for pc squad for 2025.
Surprisingly, he now lastly will get his want in extraordinary circumstances, at Honda’s house circuit in Suzuka of all locations. Tsunoda can have by no means set foot within the Pink Bull RB21 earlier than he goes out in Friday’s first observe session in entrance of the passionate Japanese followers and the watchful eyes of Honda executives.
However for a person with the burden of expectations behind him, Tsunoda appeared relaxed and cracked jokes with the 400 followers that have been capable of get into the Aoyama constructing’s welcome plaza as he shared the stage together with his mentor and former WTCC driver Ryo Michigami.
“We don’t need to put an excessive amount of stress on you, however it’s unimaginable to not have excessive expectations,” Michigami urged, to which a grinning Tsunoda replied: “Sure, please pile on the expectations and stress!”
He admitted his transfer forward of the Japanese Grand Prix initially felt “unreal”, however stated he quickly acquired all the way down to enterprise at Pink Bull’s Milton Keynes manufacturing unit.
Japanese followers present their assist for Yuki Tsunoda, Visa Money App RB F1 Staff
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Pictures
“After I first acquired the decision, I believed: ‘Wow, that is going to be attention-grabbing.’ I simply felt: ‘I’ll change to the opposite crew’,” he stated. “In fact, I used to be comfortable about becoming a member of Pink Bull, however once I thought of it fastidiously, the concept of instantly racing for Pink Bull on the Japanese Grand Prix felt so unreal.
“At first, I used to be too busy to even take the time to completely recognize the thrill. I needed to leap straight into the simulator, do seat fittings, and maintain numerous different preparations. In fact, getting promoted to Pink Bull is an incredible alternative, however earlier than anything, I wished to speak to my [Racing Bulls] engineers and the individuals who had supported me, and thank them.”
On his seat match within the 2025 Pink Bull, he stated: “When you sit in an F1 cockpit, the view is identical. Sorry for the boring reply. Since I used to be a reserve driver this 12 months, I had already achieved a seat becoming earlier than. However again then I keep in mind considering, ‘Why am I even doing this? I’m not going to be racing anyway’. This time, I took the seat becoming critically.”
Having fun with the expertise, however aiming for the rostrum
Tsunoda did not seem daunted by the prospect of taming the bucking RB21, the place many different drivers have struggled within the seemingly cursed seat alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen. He stated his preliminary feeling from the simulator was constructive, though he admitted his glowing feedback on testing the 2024 automobile in Abu Dhabi have been cheekily aimed toward convincing Pink Bull to select him over then team-mate Lawson.
“To be trustworthy, that was a little bit of a gross sales pitch. However nonetheless, I used to be capable of drive it usually instantly, so in that sense I do really feel prefer it fits me,” he stated when requested by the host about his solely earlier expertise in a Pink Bull F1 automobile. “I spent about two days within the simulator [with the 2025 car]. From that have, I didn’t discover the automobile to be that difficult to drive.
“I undoubtedly acquired the impression that the front-end may be very responsive, as folks typically say. However if you happen to ask whether or not it felt difficult to deal with, I wouldn’t say it gave me a very unusual feeling, at the least within the simulator. In fact, how I need to arrange the automobile might be completely different from Max. I need to develop my very own automobile set-up, get a superb understanding of it, and steadily stand up to hurry from FP1.”
Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
However whereas he’s beneath no phantasm that the Suzuka weekend will current the problem of a lifetime, that studying curve shouldn’t be making him tone down his burning ambition to turn out to be the primary Japanese driver to complete on the Japanese Grand Prix podium since Kamui Kobayashi in 2012.
“My ambition hasn’t modified. I don’t need to elevate expectations an excessive amount of, however for this Japanese Grand Prix I need to end on the rostrum,” he stated, this time very critically. “That stated, I do know it received’t be straightforward proper from the beginning. My precedence is to first perceive the automobile and the way it behaves in comparison with the VCARB.
“If I can naturally get pleasure from driving it as I get aware of it in FP1, then the outcomes will comply with. And if that results in a podium end, that will be unimaginable.”
However above all, Tsunoda needs to soak within the expertise and seize a novel alternative to repay Honda for a few years of assist. “That is the ultimate 12 months of Pink Bull and Honda’s partnership, so attending to race in Suzuka as a Pink Bull Racing driver seems like destiny,” he concluded.
“I need to combat with one of the best engine – Honda’s engine – whereas exhibiting my gratitude for all the pieces Honda has achieved. I hope to get pleasure from this expertise along with all of the followers. Greater than something, I’m excited in regards to the problem forward.
“There aren’t many moments in life the place you face this sort of excessive stress and a possibility as huge as this, so I can solely think about that it’s going to be an extremely thrilling race.”
For Tsunoda, subsequent week’s Pink Bull debut is the end result of a life-long dream, one which many really feel might but flip right into a nightmare if he additionally struggles to get a tune out of the automobile like others earlier than him. However together with his long run F1 future unsure, Tsunoda would not need to have it some other approach.
If Pink Bull’s change hadn’t materialised, Tsunoda’s misplaced Pink Bull dream would have haunted him ceaselessly.
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Filip Cleeren
Formulation 1
Yuki Tsunoda
Pink Bull Racing
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