The Japanese driver admits that replicating the Dutchman's setup was his biggest mistake in 2025. Despite losing his seat, he assures that experience made him stronger and that his return with Racing Bulls has given him back his confidence and enthusiasm.
Yuki Tsunoda has made an exercise in self criticism unusual in Formula 1. The Japanese driver, who lost his seat at Red Bull at the end of the 2025 season, has revealed what in his opinion was the biggest mistake he made during his time at the Austrian team. In an interview given to the official Beyond The Grid podcast, Tsunoda admitted that trying to replicate Max Verstappen's driving style and setup was the wrong path.
"One thing about myself, if I'm completely honest, is that I have an ego big enough not to change my driving style. I know what I do behind the wheel, I believe in myself so I never try to change my style to adapt to other drivers, even if they are competitive and fast" explained Tsunoda. However, he acknowledged that with Verstappen he made an exception: "Obviously Max is a different case, he is a world champion and he demonstrates many things, it was probably the first year since I started in which I thought about changing my driving style and trying to do something similar to him" he confessed.
The result of that experiment was not as expected: "What I think now is that the biggest mistake of last year was trying to replicate the setup he was using" stated the Japanese driver. Tsunoda scored points in only seven of the 21 Grands Prix he contested with Red Bull, in a car that Verstappen took to second place in the championship. The comparison was devastating, the Dutchman won five of the last eight races while Tsunoda, in that same period, only managed a sixth, a seventh and a tenth place.
That season ended with the loss of his seat, which was taken by Isack Hadjar, however Tsunoda holds no grudge: "When they told me, I still remember it, I didn't feel a great disappointment. Obviously I was disappointed and quite sad about not driving the following year but not as much as I expected, I don't know why, I fought very hard. I fought harder than ever in 2025 and even though I look back now, I don't have many regrets. I gave everything and the result is something I obviously didn't like, but honestly I just gave everything" he recounted.
Far from sinking him, that experience has made him a more complete driver. Tsunoda has returned to Racing Bulls as a Red Bull reserve and has contested three races this season substituting for Lawson, leaving a very positive impression. In Zandvoort with a Sprint format and only one practice session to adapt to a new car, he finished eleventh, in Monza he achieved a tenth place that gave the team a point: "The feeling I had when crossing the finish line in P10 was definitely more special than in the last three years of my career, I felt something similar to the first time I scored with AlphaTauri in my first year" he confessed.
The Japanese driver is clear about his goal: "My main focus is F1, I'm trying to come back. That is my goal and I don't think about anything else, for me it is lucky to have had these opportunities so I try to maximize them and I hope to be back in 2027" he concluded.
Tsunoda knows the driver market is complicated, with few seats available, but his performance in these three races has shown that he still has the level needed to compete in the top category.
