Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull driver, reaches the last stages of the season looking for good results to continue in F1. The Japanese, Max Verstappen’s teammate, still does not have a confirmed seat for 2026.
“I’m taking advantage of the current situation, driving this car alongside Max. These challenges make life more interesting,” he said in an interview with Sheet.
This year, Tsunoda arrives at Interlagos in 17th place in the drivers’ championship standings. His best results were two sixth places – one in Azerbaijan, in September, and another, in the United States, in October. Red Bull competes for the runner-up constructors’ championship with Ferrari and Mercedes.
“With the current situation in the teams’ championship, every point is very important. I will try my best to score points,” he said.
The pilot also discussed how his relationship with Interlagos changed over the years. In 2024, the Japanese driver – until then a starter at Racing Bulls – achieved his best career classification in Grand Prix, starting third, in “a very crazy day of racing”. He finished the race in seventh.
“Until three or two years ago, Interlagos was one of my least favorite tracks. Last year, I had good memories in qualifying, especially with the rain. Since then, it has been one of my top five favorite tracks. That keeps changing every year,” said the driver.
“If you have a good result or a good feeling on the track, everything feels different. At Interlagos, there is a lot of technique, a lot of elevation and banking changes. As a driver, you end up enjoying it,” he explained.
Tsunoda admits that the demands of F1 are greater than he imagined, but training in simulators has helped him. “If you want to learn or try something different — for example, driving style — you can do that outside of the race, as time is limited on the weekend. The simulator was one of the tools I used and it was very useful,” he said.
In the sprint held this Saturday (8), the Japanese finished the race in 14th. This Sunday (9), he starts 19th at the São Paulo GP – in the classification, he was eliminated in Q1.
The driver has replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull since the Japanese GP in April. Tsunoda was chosen after a first two races with no points for the New Zealander. In the Austrian team, Verstappen already had Daniel Ricciardo, Sérgio Pérez, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly as teammates.
See where to watch F1 in São Paulo*
Domingo (9)
Race – 2pm – Band, Bandplay and Band.com.br
*Brasília times
