The Japanese driver, eleventh in the Dutch GP, proved he remains a top level driver. Tsunoda narrowly missed out on points in his return to Racing Bulls, but his performance was a statement of intent for the future.
Yuki Tsunoda took advantage of his one off appearance with Racing Bulls at the Dutch Grand Prix to once again catch the attention of the Formula 1 paddock. The Japanese driver, who finished eleventh at Zandvoort, did not score points, but his performance was a statement of intent: "Honestly, I'm super happy. I really enjoyed this qualifying" declared Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver, who had not competed since Abu Dhabi in December, has been working intensively with Red Bull as a test driver and on the simulator: "Thanks to Red Bull, they've kept me quite sharp with the simulator and those things, but certainly, I've definitely enjoyed it overall, and I think I gave 100%, everything I could" he said.
Tsunoda highlighted the challenge of adapting to a new car on a sprint weekend: "The challenging part was practically everything. Many things to learn about deployment, the buttons, everything. Every procedure is different. This race was a challenge due to degradation. The degradation characteristics were very different, so it was difficult to adapt" he assured.
The Japanese driver acknowledged that Saturday's sprint race was a valuable exercise: "It was very useful. Certainly for the race it was good to have that before the start, and every procedure, every deployment management is very different. I think it was good, important for the race, and those 24 laps, every lap, I was able to learn" he explained.
Tsunoda was satisfied with his progress throughout the weekend: "Every session I'm getting closer and closer. I wish I had one more session, one more round, but there's still one more session left, which is the race, and I'm close to points, so I'm excited" he declared.
The Japanese driver also referred to the battle with Pierre Gasly for tenth place: "Honestly, I think I've progressed faster than I expected. I've only driven four times in eight months since last year in Abu Dhabi, so with that, I did quite well. It's a shame not to have scored points, but I accept it, fighting against the top eight, the top nine, until the final laps" he stated.
Tsunoda believes his performance at Zandvoort has improved his future options: "I know what I can do, and I think I've shown quite well what I can do to most of the paddock. With only one race, a couple of sessions, I was able to fight close to the points. I think the result was obviously better by scoring points, but I think I did everything I could" he explained.
The Japanese driver sent a message to teams that have not yet closed their lineups for 2027: "It depends on my manager and also on other teams that haven't decided on next year's lineup yet. Whether they want me or not, but they should!" concluded Tsunoda.
Tsunoda's performance at Zandvoort GP has been a reminder of his talent. The Japanese driver has shown he remains a competitive driver and deserves an opportunity in Formula 1. and the true is that Tsunoda's future is uncertain, but his performance at Zandvoort has improved his chances to come back.
