Yuki Tsunoda canceled his Japan vacation to work overtime on the simulator at Milton Keynes after Hungarian GP

Yuki Tsunoda’s 2025 Formula 1 season has been one of highs and lows, but the Japanese driver remains determined to turn things around. After a series of painful outings, Tsunoda canceled his vacation and instead put in long hours at the Red Bull simulator in Milton Keynes that helped reset his approach.

Tsunoda joined Red Bull Racing after just two rounds this season, stepping up from Racing Bulls to replace Liam Lawson. He began with promise, scoring six points in his first four races, but what followed was seven races without a single top-10. It left him at the bottom half of the standings.

The low point came at Hungary, where Tsunoda finished 17th and teammate Max Verstappen ninth in a tricky afternoon for the RB21. That weekend marked a turning point. Instead of heading back to Japan for the summer break, Tsunoda informed Laurent Mekies he would stay in the UK and dedicate his time to simulator work.

Speaking to The Race at Baku, Mekies revealed how that shift impressed him:

"He's listening and it's good. I'm very happy for him. He's working very hard. He has never backed off working hard. After the tough, tough time in Budapest, he came straight to the simulator instead of going on his holiday. Every weekend when he's not racing, he's working somewhere with his engineers or on his driving. I'm very happy for him that he's shown progress."

Yuki Tsunoda (22) RB21 spins during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria. Source: Getty

The progress was clear after the break. Yuki Tsunoda returned in the Dutch Grand Prix and got points for the first time in eight races with a ninth-place finish. He credited the extra sim hours with helping him identify what was missing.

"Something I changed on the car seems to be working really well, and obviously there is some fine-tuning with my driving as well that I've worked quite hard to improve. I wanted to find the reason why I was so much behind, and I tried multiple sim sessions. Then I found something, and when I applied it to this track it seems to be working very well," he added via The Race.

The timing of his improvement also aligned with Red Bull’s technical upgrades. A new floor introduced in Monza improved airflow under the car, while re-profiled edges increased downforce, and trimmed wings reduced drag.

At Baku, the RB21 received a reshaped rear wing element to fine-tune downforce levels. These changes gave Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda a stronger platform to work from and gave the Japanese driver the chance to showcase his newfound confidence.

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Yuki Tsunoda says he 'unlocked something' after career-best Baku result

Yuki Tsunoda of Oracle Red Bull Racing after the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Source: Getty

Yuki Tsunoda’s strongest weekend yet with Red Bull came at the Baku City Circuit. He made Q3 with a 1:42.143 run in a red-flagged qualifying session, earning P6 on the grid behind the Mercedes pair. Starting on hard tires, he gained track position early, overtaking George Russell and holding fifth place for the opening laps.

The strategy calls proved decisive. When Norris pitted early on mediums, Tsunoda responded with a stop of his own, rejoining ahead of the McLaren. Despite a last-lap dive attempt from Norris, he secured P6, his best result since joining Red Bull Racing.

After the race, he reflected on how much had changed in just a few weeks:

"Scoring my best result with the team feels deserved. We put ourselves in a great position yesterday in Qualifying and we wanted to capitalize on that with the good promise that we showed in the long runs in practice... The changes that we've made to the car have really worked this weekend and it allowed us to be more competitive than we have been on race days previously. I came into Baku having put in a lot of hard work off track to extract as much performance as possible and today was a step in the right direction. I feel like I have unlocked something that I can take into future races."

The result has given Yuki Tsunoda fresh momentum at a crucial time. With seven races remaining, Red Bull faces a tough decision for 2026, balancing five drivers across four available seats. Isack Hadjar’s rise and Arvid Lindblad’s arrival complicate the equation, but Baku showed Tsunoda still can make his case.

Edited by Tushar Bahl