Yuki Tsunoda revealed one of the factors that, in his assessment, made his adaptation to Red Bull Racing in the 2025 Formula 1 season difficult. The Japanese driver admitted that his ego led him to resist changes in his own driving style during his season with the team.
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Promoted to the main team to replace Liam Lawson after the first two races of 2025, Tsunoda was unable to frequently stay in the points zone and left Red Bull at the end of last season. Isack Hadjar took his place in 2026, while Tsunoda became a reserve driver in the Red Bull ‘family’ this year.
In an interview with the Beyond The Grid podcast, Tsunoda stated that he has always had confidence in his way of driving and did not usually modify his approach to adapt to other drivers: “I have an ego big enough not to change my driving style. I know what I’m doing and I believe in myself,” he said.
The Japanese driver also commented on Max Verstappen’s influence during his time at Red Bull. Although he considered his driving style similar to the four-time world champion’s, Tsunoda acknowledged that he tried to replicate setups used by his teammate, something he now considers a mistake.
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Tsunoda continued: “What I did most, and I think it was last year’s biggest mistake, was trying to replicate the setup Max was using,” he added.
For Tsunoda, the experience showed that copying the teammate’s adjustments did not necessarily solve his difficulties, even when the driving styles had similar characteristics.
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