Yuki Tsunoda finished just over a tenth behind Max Verstappen in their first session together as Red Bull teammates.

Red Bull new recruit Yuki Tsunoda has been told to get as close to his world champion teammate Max Verstappen as possible at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend and he certainly delivered in the first practice session on Friday.

The fast-paced world of Formula 1 racing has once again captivated fans as Yuki Tsunoda, a newcomer to Red Bull Racing, faced the thrilling yet daunting reality of driving a Formula 1 car during the practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix.

But following his sudden promotion to the senior Red Bull team last week, Yuki Tsunoda knows he has his long-awaited chance to write a new chapter in Japan’s F1 history. Resumin

Having lost his seat at Red Bull after just two grands prix, Liam Lawson wants to show he belongs in F1 with Racing Bulls and is not thinking about a future return to the top team in the stable

Yuki Tsunoda finally has his promotion at Red Bull. That was difficult enough, elevated to the top team last week as Liam Lawson was demoted to Red Bull’s No. 2 Formula 1 team — Racing Bulls — after failing to score points in the season’s first two races.

Yuki Tsunoda is confident the issues faced by previous Red Bull drivers when competing against Max Verstappen in the same car will not impact him to the same extent.

Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson both finished ahead of Max Verstappen during second practice at Suzuka, and it’s not the first time Racing Bulls has been faster than the senior team on Fridays this season.

No one knows better than Liam Lawson how quickly things can change in results-driven, money-driven Formula 1. Last week the New Zealander was suddenly demoted to Racing Bulls after two poor Formula 1 races with the top team — Red Bull — in Australia and China to start the season.