Yuki Tsunoda needs more time to find the limit of ...

Yuki Tsunoda believes he nonetheless wants extra time to push the Purple Bull System 1 automotive to the utmost after a combined begin to life on the group. 

The Japanese driver began the 2025 season with sister squad Racing Bulls, however then changed the underperforming Liam Lawson at Purple Bull after simply two grands prix.

Though Tsunoda has been an enchancment on Lawson, the 24-year-old has solely scored two factors in his three grands prix aboard the difficult-to-drive RB21 – citing qualifying as an space to enhance as he struggles to become familiar with the automotive. 

“It simply wants extra time, I assume, to get used to it absolutely,” stated Tsunoda forward of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.

“I feel I am pleased with the progress thus far, and I feel the boldness is kind of there. However simply whenever you push 100% on the restrict in qualifying, which you form of face nearly [for the] first time in qualifying, proper? Since you do not actually push 100% till then. 

“In qualifying, more often than not thus far, I skilled a brand new form of behaviour from my automotive and simply not capable of typically address it. However I would not say the automotive is tremendous, tremendous troublesome, it simply wants extra time and to outline the place the restrict is.”

Tsunoda has arguably taken on essentially the most troublesome job in F1, which is being the team-mate of four-time world champion Max Verstappen, whose very explicit driving model requires a sure sort of automotive.

A lot of his team-mates have struggled to deal with this, and Tsunoda joined a Purple Bull squad that was scuffling with its equipment, as discrepancies between the observe and the group’s wind tunnel resulted in points with the automotive. 

“I’d say it isn’t difficult to drive round,” Tsunoda added. “It isn’t simple, for positive, [but] what I felt within the VCARB was a bit extra lenient and a bit extra forgiving with any instructions. 

“Undoubtedly Purple Bull has a sharper, form of narrower window that they will type, which I feel being a window to drive round remains to be not simpler than a VCARB, however higher than I assumed initially after I jumped into Purple Bull.”  

Whereas off the tempo in contrast with Verstappen, Tsunoda is studying. He scored his first factors for Purple Bull with ninth in his second race in Bahrain, however then crashed out per week later in Saudi Arabia.  

Now, as he prepares to enter his fourth race with Purple Bull, Tsunoda stated he is aware of what he “needs to work on” to be able to become familiar along with his new automotive, however conceded that race-winning tempo gained’t be simple to come back by.  

“Typically you simply have to simply accept the form of difficulties of the automotive,” he stated. Typically when you’re feeling form of just a little oversteer, just a little understeer, if nonetheless lap time is sweet, simply in all probability follow the route.”   

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