Yuki Tsunoda finally got his first taste of the new-generation Formula 1 machinery during practice and sprint qualifying at the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday. The Japanese driver's return to the grid with Racing Bulls was highly anticipated, especially as he had to quickly adapt to the new technical regulations that have drawn criticism from several drivers.
Tsunoda filled the vacant seat at Racing Bulls after Liam Lawson was promoted to Red Bull to replace the injured Isack Hadjar. With minimal preparation time, he was immediately expected to be competitive at the tight and challenging Zandvoort circuit.
After getting through the opening phase of sprint qualifying, Tsunoda had to settle for 12th place after narrowly missing a top-10 berth. He admitted there is still much to learn, especially since the 2026 cars have lost significant downforce compared to the previous generation. "I remember, it's still early stages, so maybe it's not fair to say, but most drivers were struggling a bit with balance, brake performance, and the amount of downforce these cars lost," he said.
Interestingly, Tsunoda has a direct comparison because he previously tested the old car, which he described as one of the fastest in F1 history. "I enjoyed the TPCs with last year's car so much. But getting into this car, it feels a lot different, especially in high-speed corners. On a traditional track like this with little runoff, you want to build up gradually," he explained.
Despite the challenges, Tsunoda stressed that his adaptation process has been positive. His main goal is to perform well in qualifying and the sprint race, as well as gathering as much data as possible for the main race. "I've enjoyed this process. So far, I think I'm able to build up session by session pretty well," he said.
Tsunoda's return to Racing Bulls—the team that nurtured him—adds a different flavor to the paddock. However, he also admitted a small disappointment for failing to advance to SQ3. "Normally you'd improve through quali, but we didn't make the same step as everybody else. We'll look into it," he concluded.
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