Yuki Tsunoda’s fast start shows Red Bull made right call on Liam Lawson

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Yuki Tsunoda was so relaxed he looked like he had been ‘chilling in a Japanese garden’, Jacques Villeneuve said - AP/Hiro Komae

There is only so much you can extrapolate from one and a bit practice sessions on a day when the only thing really catching fire was the grass around the Suzuka circuit. But it is fair to say that Yuki Tsunoda’s first day in a Red Bull was a qualified success.

All eyes were on the Japanese after the team’s dramatic decision to parachute him in for Liam Lawson after only two races of the season.

To go sixth-fastest in FP1, only 0.1 seconds slower than his new team-mate Max Verstappen, in a car that is supposedly so sensitive that no one else can handle it but the Dutchman, was therefore impressive.

There are caveats of course. Verstappen was not happy with his set-up, saying he had no front end and complaining of his car “flexing” in the slow speed corners. FP2 was a write-off after all the red flags. It is a tiny sample size etc etc. Tsunoda could yet be crushed in qualifying on Saturday, and the speculation and the pressure would all start up again, just as it did for Lawson.

But it does not feel like it will. Tsunoda already looks as if he is starting from a much more comfortable and confident place than his predecessor ever reached.

He sounds it too. When he was informed at one point of his speed relative to George Russell, Tsunoda responded: “Yeah, I think let’s focus on ourselves. I don’t need much reference time.”

“Calm and measured,” was how Anthony Davidson, the former Honda driver, described his radio communications. Not words which have been used very often in the past where Tsunoda is concerned.

Davidson was impressed, too, by the way in which Tsunoda committed to his laps, attacking corner entries and getting out of shape a couple of times. “He showed his intent,” the Briton noted, approvingly.

“He showed the commitment that we all expected from him, getting the car all out of shape on the exit of turn 11 and then again through the chicane, the rear end getting away from him early on in FP1 as he was finding his feet in this notoriously tough car to drive. A long way to go but I think we can say his first day was a good one.”

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Max Verstappen was unhappy with his set-up and complained of his car ‘flexing’ - Manami Yamada/Reuters

With Lawson having an OK-ish day in the Racing Bull – three-tenths behind new team-mate Isack Hadjar in FP1 before, ironically, managing to be one of the few drivers to put in a push lap on soft tyres in FP2, finishing above Verstappen in the Red Bull – you can see the wisdom of Red Bull’s switch.

Lawson should be able to rebuild his confidence in the Racing Bull. Tsunoda looks as if he is better equipped to handle the pressure.

‘Lawson could never go as fast as Yuki’​

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve was another to note the calmness with which Tsunoda approached his task, despite the huge crowds and attention on him.

“It looks like he spent his week in a Japanese garden, chilling and relaxing, because we’re not used to seeing him so relaxed,” the Canadian admitted on Sky Sports. “And answering so calmly on the radio. Maybe it’s the fact he has been promoted. He feels comfortable. Like he is where he’s supposed to be. But so far he’s doing the right job.”

We will get a fuller picture on Saturday when the lap times are for real. But for now, those who felt Tsunoda was always the right choice for Red Bull will be feeling vindicated.

Franz Tost, his former team principal at Racing Bulls, was one of them. He has already seen enough. “I would have gone with Yuki Tsunoda from the start,” he told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “I said that already – I made it clear last autumn. Why? Yuki is much faster than Lawson. You could give Lawson 100 years, and he still wouldn’t be as fast as Yuki. And Yuki is more experienced, so what’s the issue? It’s a very simple decision. It’s definitely a confirmation that the right call was made.”

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