Yuki Tsunoda in Baku - Photo: Race Pictures

RB boss impressed by three key racing qualities of Tsunoda

15:32, 19 Sep

Updated: 15:42, 19 Sep

byTobia Elia

Racing Bulls’ team principal Alain Permane spoke about Yuki Tsunoda and what impressed him while working with the driver last year.

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Alan Permane. Photo: Race Pictures

"I didn’t know Yuki at all before I started with the team in 2024, and I was immediately impressed by him"

- Alain Permane

Present at the press conference for team principals, Permane answered the question by admitting that he was surprised by the Japanese driver’s natural speed, especially in qualifying, but also by his ability to manage the tires.

"His speed, for one thing." he said. "I didn’t know Yuki at all before I started with the team in 2024, and I was immediately impressed by him — by his pace, by how he can handle the tyres, his qualifying pace, how he could get on top of the tyres as quickly as he did to extract the most out of the car in qualifying.

"That was the very first thing that surprised me. And honestly, his feedback, and the way he is in the car, the way he drives, the way he's out of the car — are really in line with the top drivers."

The Brit, who took over from Laurent Mekies as team principal in Faenza after the Frenchman’s promotion to Milton Keynes, admitted that he was pleasantly impressed by Tsunoda’s qualities, later describing him as a great driver.

He's a great driver. And honestly, that was a little bit of a — let’s say — it was a surprise. I guess I hadn’t thought about it, but it was a nice surprise when I got to start working with him."

How did Tsunoda perform in Baku's opening day?

In a challenging Friday for Red Bull, Tsunoda at least had the satisfaction of finishing the first practice session ahead of his teammate, ending in sixth place just ahead of Max Verstappen, with both drivers a second off the top of the timesheets.

In FP2, the Japanese driver slipped further back, finishing fourteenth compared to the four-time world champion’s sixth, with a gap of half a second.

Here are the full FP2 results.

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