Tsunoda mentions that the way Red Bull operates is a good match for him.

      "I want to comprehend Red Bull's car first"

      Dr. Helmut Marko acknowledges that Max Verstappen was against the "unanimous" decision made by Red Bull team management to remove Liam Lawson after only two races in 2025. Last week, when Lawson's exit and return to Racing Bulls became official, the four-time world champion 'liked' an Instagram post that compared this action to "bullying." Marko confirmed Verstappen’s opposition during a discussion with formel1.de, revealing that the Dutch driver believes replacing Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda won't resolve the issues with the 2025 car. "That is correct, and that's how Max expressed it," he stated. The Austrian also mentioned to De Telegraaf: "Max pointed out that the car is very challenging to handle, and if it were better, Lawson’s performance would improve as well. We are, of course, working on development, but it's still uncertain how quickly that will progress." Interestingly, Lando Norris has voiced concerns about the difficult driving characteristics of his leading McLaren, leading to speculation that this may be a result of Rob Marshall’s influence. "I think there is definitely a connection there," Marko commented. "The upward trend at McLaren began right after he left us to join them. It's highly likely that our DNA is present in that car." In a Honda event in Tokyo over the weekend, Tsunoda revealed that after spending "about two days" in the simulator with the RB21 following the decision, he is dreaming of achieving a home podium finish in Suzuka this weekend. "I found that the RB21 isn't that hard to handle, although my car setup will likely differ from Max’s," the Japanese driver said. "I didn’t experience anything particularly strange, at least in the simulator." Marko acknowledges that Tsunoda's more comfortable experience driving the 2025 Red Bull, compared to Lawson, might suggest a shift in team strategy. "We are thinking about implementing a different setup for the second car," he stated, "making it less aggressive and more manageable." Tsunoda remarked: "I believe my vision of what type of car I want differs from Max's. I want to first understand Red Bull’s car and then create a good car for myself." Reflecting on his test of Red Bull’s 2024 car late last year, Tsunoda indicated that it suited his driving style. "Well, that was somewhat of a sales pitch," Tsunoda chuckled, "but I was able to drive normally back then too, so I think it's a good match for me."