Yuki Tsunoda SPINS Red Bull as fans given Japan show

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, Abu Dhabi, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

Japanese Grand Prix

Tsunoda SPINS Red Bull as fans given Japan show

Yuki Tsunoda will make his first Red Bull appearance at the Japanese Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 2 April 2025 21:55

Yuki Tsunoda has treated Japanese Formula 1 fans to a show ahead of this weekend’s race at Suzuka, where he drove a Red Bull for the first time since replacing Liam Lawson.

The 24-year-old will race alongside Max Verstappen at the Japanese Grand Prix, after Lawson’s point-less outings in Australia and China resulted in him being demoted to Racing Bulls.

Ahead of this weekend’s race all four drivers in the Red Bull family took to the streets of Odaiba in Japan, to complete a showrun and pay homage to Honda, who will be parting ways with the team at the end of 2025 after overseeing six championship victories as their engine partner.

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During the showrun, Tsunoda jumped in a Red Bull for the first time since the switch, where he completed a series of donuts in front of his home crowd in an older F1 car.

"Yuki cooking up some donuts at his home showrun," the team wrote on Instagram as they shared the home drivers' first outing since his official Red Bull promotion.

Can Tsunoda put on a show in first Red Bull appearance?

The Japanese driver also reunited with Isack Hadjar during the team’s showrun, where Tsunoda forgot at one point who his team-mate was, and went to lineup alongside the Frenchman for a photograph.

Not only will Tsunoda compete in his first race with Red Bull at Suzuka, but he will also do so in a special white livery designed as a tribute to Japanese manufacturer Honda.

The RB21’s white livery is inspired by the Honda RA272 the car which achieved Honda’s maiden F1 win at the 1965 Mexican GP with Richie Ginther, and the metallic red bulls on the white design nods to Japan's national flag.

Red Bull’s nosecone will also feature a memorial sticker celebrating the 60th anniversary of Ginther’s first win with Honda, and Tsunoda will be hoping to emulate this success with a podium at Suzuka.

However, given the RB21’s recent performances it may be a difficult task for Tsunoda to achieve, with Red Bull's second driver last securing a podium at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix with Sergio Perez, which took place last April.

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

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Red Bull Max Verstappen Yuki Tsunoda Liam Lawson Honda