Yuki Tsunoda qualified 12th for the Dutch Grand Prix sprint, a result the Racing Bulls returnee described as “pretty satisfied with” as he adapts to Formula 1’s new machinery.
Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury over the summer break forced his withdrawal from this weekend’s event, prompting Liam Lawson’s temporary promotion to Red Bull while Tsunoda, a reserve driver for both teams, took his seat at Racing Bulls.
Entering his 115th career Grand Prix, Tsunoda completed a substantial 35 laps in practice, posting the 17th‑fastest time, eight‑tenths off rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad. On a challenging sprint weekend, he narrowed that gap to 0.433 s in SQ1 and 0.360 s in SQ2 to claim 12th on the grid for the short‑distance race.
“To be honest, everything really feels like a rookie experience—brake pressure, overall handling—everything is markedly different from last year,” Tsunoda commented after the session. “You also have two sets of tyres, and you don’t want to damage them straight away, so it was pretty tricky.”
“But in the end, I’m pretty satisfied with the performance I had in qualifying and the sprint qualifying. Obviously there are a few things I can improve, but with this format you want to gradually build up.”
Yuki Tsunoda, Racing Bulls
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
This was Tsunoda’s first experience with 2026‑spec F1 cars, featuring completely new power units that deliver 47 % electric assistance, making energy management far more crucial than in the previous generation.
Asked how he got to grips with that, the 26‑year‑old replied: “For here, it’s more about learning the car. We’re still at a very early stage, so it feels different.
“And maybe it’s not fair to say, but most drivers were struggling a bit with the balance, brake performance, and the loss of downforce compared to last year. So I need to adapt quickly, you know?”
“I drove last year’s car, which is arguably one of the fastest cars in history, and I enjoyed the TPCs [Testing of Previous Cars] immensely. Moving to this car feels a lot different, especially in high‑speed corners. On a traditional circuit like this, there’s limited run‑off area, so you want to build up gradually. But yeah, I’ve enjoyed this process.”
“My main objective is tomorrow’s qualifying. So far, I think I’m able to build session by session quite well. So, I’m excited for the long run tomorrow—that’s what I need to gather all the data before qualifying and the race.”
In other words, with only the top eight scoring points in the sprint, Tsunoda will focus on gaining experience during the 24‑lap dash, which could prove invaluable for the remainder of the weekend.
