77 replies to this topic

[A3]

Tsunoda himself is eying a podium in Japan. All previous teammates of Max have struggled in the car, Max defended Lawson by saying he would have done better if the car was easier to drive. Tsunoda apparently impressed with simulator work, but it's still not the real thing. 

 

So what do you think?

Edited by A3, 01 April 2025 - 08:08.

[Disgrace]

Tsunoda has a pretty good qualifying record. I think he'll get out of Q1, at least.

[JimmyClark]

I think he will. Honda will likely give him full beans engine modes too for the weekend.

Edited by JimmyClark, 01 April 2025 - 07:06.

[lewislorenzo]

He will get to Q2.

Conflicted as I hope Yuki does well but not a fan of Redbull at all…

[le chat noir]

This is going to be his weekend.

 

Lawson will have some sort of mare, with poor quali strategy and still end up 19th on the grid. He'll make it to the finish, last of the classified runners, having had some damage and poor strategy.

Verstappen will make an uncharacteristic mistake having look set for pole, with a twitch at 130R, and end up 7th on grid, possibly with work needed to the car.

Tsunoda will start second having had a good banker before Verstappen endded the session early, beside Piastri, who he'll then overtake at the hairpin. Norris will get a wheel on the grass at turn 1 and spin out to the gravel traps.

Verstappen will climb to P3 by end of the race, but intermittent rain and good strategy will see Tsunoda keep Piastri at bay.

Another victory on RBR debut.

 

And the numbers for Saturday are 4, 17, 25, 37, 42 and 49.

[Spillage]

Out in Q2, I think. Probably ahead of Lawson but behind Handjar.

[ANF]

Tsunoda has a pretty good qualifying record. I think he'll get out of Q1, at least.

Yeah, I think he may be a stronger qualifier than Lawson. That's probably the only thing he's better at.

[thermonuclear]

Tsunoda and Lawson were team mates in 2023 at Suzuka. Tsunoda qualified 9th with a 1.30.303 and Lawson qualified 11th with a 1.30.508. In the race Lawson finished P11 and Tsunoda P12.

 

Both drivers have plenty to prove, has the potential to be a close battle if they can both block out the external noise and get on it in the new seats.

[jonpollak]

Tsunoda himself is eying a podium in Japan.

Dunno if you are familiar with the way the Japanese language works but in context of what he said… It’s an aspiration or a ‘dream’ not something to be taken as a stone cold possibility.

I’d love to see him do well in front of the greatest fans in F1.
Jp

[A3]

Dunno if you are familiar with the way the Japanese language works 

 

 

I don't. But I can get by in English.

 

"I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium.

https://www.motorspo...debut/10708291/

 

Nowhere it's suggested that this is translated from Japanese, so it seems like a direct quote.

[PayasYouRace]

Even if that was a driver quote from an English speaker, it expresses desire or aspiration. Not necessarily a target.

I guess what JP is saying is that the Japanese that might translate to “I want to” doesn’t necessary correlate directly with what another language might translate to the same phrase in English.

[jonpollak]

Exactly.
Even if it was said in English the intention is from his native tongue.
Thank you PaYR.
Jp

[pdac]

 

"I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium.

 

Even in English, that's just a driver saying they want to finish on the podium (as every driver does) and does not suggest that it's a target or that it's even doable.

[pacificquay]

I suspect Tsunoda will be out in Q1 - oddly not an option in this poll so I had to vote Q2.

 

Lawson will be on the fringes of the top 10.

[Colbul1]

I think out in Q2, probably qualify 12th, which will be a stark improvement on last of course.  I can't see him finishing if the race is wet though, with a new car ready to bite him and damp conditions I can see Yuki try to push on for the fans and end up binning it at the Degners.

[A3]

I honestly do not understand why people are trying to downplay Yuki's words in this quote. I get what you are saying with the language differences (I honestly do) but reading the rest of his words I'm pretty sure Yuki meant what he said. His English is good enough for that and otherwise I believe he wouldn't have started the sentence with "I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but...". 

[A3]

Even in English, that's just a driver saying they want to finish on the podium (as every driver does) and does not suggest that it's a target or that it's even doable.

 

Ok...... If that's the case I blame the language barrier between my Dutch and English. The Dutch say what they mean and a sentence that litterally means "I want to finish on the podium" means just that.

 

Of course, saying "I would love to get a podium but I'm not sure it's doable" would be a very weird thing to say.

Edited by A3, 01 April 2025 - 12:43.

[Ivanhoe]

Well FWIW, also Autosport follows your interpretation A3

 

Tsunoda targets Japan podium after "unreal" Red Bull switch

[jonpollak]

Do you actually think that's because they understand how it was couched or because ...CLICKS ?

Come on... What IS it worth?

 

It's not like the days of Hughes, Aaron and Dodgins there now.

 

Jp

[Risil]

Tsunoda himself is eying a podium in Japan. All previous teammates of Max have struggled in the car, Max defended Lawson by saying he would have done better if the car was easier to drive. Tsunoda apparently impressed with simulator work, but it's still not the real thing. 

 

So what do you think?

 

Aim high

[jonpollak]

Ok...... If that's the case I blame the language barrier between my Dutch and English. The Dutch say what they mean and a sentence that litterally means "I want to finish on the podium" means just that.

 

Of course, saying "I would love to get a podium but I'm not sure it's doable" would be a very weird thing to say.

That's why I asked if you understood the Japanese language.

Jp

[7MGTEsup]

I have a feeling it's going to be a crazy weekend and Tsunoda will end up on one of the steps of the podium through a race of attrition.

[Risil]

I like the see-sawing nature of the quote:
 

"I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium. That said, I know it won’t be easy right from the start."

[SophieB]

I remember how joyfully nuts the Japanese crowd went for Kamui Kobayashi’s podium back in 2012 and I would like to see that happen for Yuki.

[IrvTheSwerve]

I think it'll be seen as a success just to get out of Q1, especially in light of the Lawson performances. I can see him being outqualified by at least 1 Racing Bull - and it wouldn't surprise me if he's behind both.

 

The big panic for Red Bull will be if he qualifies last or on the back row.

[A3]

That's why I asked if you understood the Japanese language.

Jp

 

Apparently I understand as much of the Japanese language as I do of the English language. 

[mclarensmps]

I remember how joyfully nuts the Japanese crowd went for Kamui Kobayashi’s podium back in 2012 and I would like to see that happen for Yuki.

Same here! Japanese F1 fans are awesome, it would be awesome for something cool like that to happen for them

[Laster]

https://www.bbc.co.u...es/c62x5dnvlzdo
"Obviously I want to say points or a podium or whatever," said Tsunoda.
"But at the same time, realistically, you think about jumping into the new car straight away with limited sessions, that's pretty tough.
"I think what I can say for now is if I can score points - top 10 - I'll be happy."

To me reading Tsunoda comments, a podium is what he is hoping for, points are what he's targetting.

[Clrnc]

I think he will. Honda will likely give him full beans engine modes too for the weekend.

Doesn't work that way. Engines are homogolated. They can't change it 

[Ivanhoe]

Doesn't work that way. Engines are homogolated. They can't change it 

They can still run with different mappings, as long as they are the same in quali and the race. They can run their engine as agresive as they like.

[TomNokoe]

Tough question. 3 dry FPs helps him, as it would have Lawson. Suzuka often has higher field spread than other circuits. However, the Racing Bulls is a quick car. Really tough to predict!!

Verstappen P3
Tsunoda P8
Lawson P9
Hadjar P12

[Alfisti]

I can see Tsunoda somewhere around p13 to 16 on the grid. Lawson and Hadjar around P9 to 15 and wouldn't surprise me to see Hadjar beat Lawson until Lawson beds back in. If Yuki can get to Q2 it is a success, Max is struggling to get it to top 5 so Q3 will be tough. 

[Autodromo]

Tough question. 3 dry FPs helps him, as it would have Lawson. Suzuka often has higher field spread than other circuits. However, the Racing Bulls is a quick car. Really tough to predict!!

Verstappen P3
Tsunoda P8
Lawson P9
Hadjar P12

For some reason I have a lot of confidence in Hadjar and think he will do better than this.

[Brian60]

Two things -- he's going to qualify and do well in the race, or he's going to bin it big style trying to do so in front of the home crowd.

[LiJu914]

I think the negative car characteristics of the RB21 are less relevant in high-speed corners, which Suzuka has many.

Of course Yuki has to get used to the car, but that´s less of an issue at the beginning of the season as everyone is still learning about their cars.

 

My gut feeling tells me Yuki´s debut will be quite good. I´m more worried about the rest of the season.

[#99]

I remember how joyfully nuts the Japanese crowd went for Kamui Kobayashi’s podium back in 2012 and I would like to see that happen for Yuki.

Ditto Sato's 5th place in 2002.  Can remember waking up after the race and they were showing him waving and the crowds excitement and in my groggy state thinking he'd won the race 

[tempname11]

I kind of want Tsunoda to do well, but it's not likely. Will be interesting to see how he reacts to the huge pressure.

[kumo7]

Keep calm, keep racing. Yuki, this is the first home GP in Red Bull. Go for it. 

[jonpollak]

Apparently I understand as much of the Japanese language as I do of the English language.

Totally fine A3…
It’s complicated enough to speak let alone comprehend the nuances of meaning behind the words.

Jp

[noikeee]

Max P2

Hadjar P12

Tsunoda P13

Lawson P15

[Benchulo]

I'm hoping for a Q3 and and a top 8 finish. 

[Laster]

A relevant qualifying stat I came across on bluesky.
Quali H2H records for Suzuka 🇯🇵
Tsunoda: 3-0 (100%)
Ocon: 5-1 (83.3%)
Verstappen: 6-2 (75%)
Albon: 3-1 (75%)
Alonso: 13-5 (72.2%)
Sainz: 5-3 (62.5%)
Leclerc: 3-2 (60%)
Hamilton: 8-6 (57.1%)
Norris: 2-2 (50%)
Piastri 1-1 (50%)
Hulk 5-6 (45.5%)
Gasly 2-4 (33.3%)
Stroll 2-4 (33.3%)
Russell 1-3 (25%)
Lawson 0-1 (0%)

Admittedly I'm inclined to think Yuki's 100% record won't remain intact after this weekend, but it's at least an encouraging stat for how he deals with performing at his home grand prix.

[Otaku]

He will get to Q3 and do a pretty good job for a 1st outing in the main team. Book it.

[GiorgioF1]

Gonna bin it in Q2.

 

This car will be be a handfull at Suzuka.

[cyclist]

I want to see him do well, soI voted that he reaches Q3 and outqualifies the RBs. The weekend might have weather influence, so that could muddy the actual picture.

[Clrnc]

They can still run with different mappings, as long as they are the same in quali and the race. They can run their engine as agresive as they like.

The maximum power will still be the maximum power, and there's no reason they will tune down Max's engine in comparison to Yuki. It will be the same as per last 2 races. 

[jonpollak]

GO HADJAR !!!!
Jp

[FirstnameLastname]

I honestly do not understand why people are trying to downplay Yuki's words in this quote. I get what you are saying with the language differences (I honestly do) but reading the rest of his words I'm pretty sure Yuki meant what he said. His English is good enough for that and otherwise I believe he wouldn't have started the sentence with "I don’t want to raise expectations too much, but...".

If you’re going to Redbull then a podium surely SHOULD be your aim?! Quite right of Tsunoda to say such… he’s stepping up (in theory) from the B team, and and he’s been playing for points there. Would be defeatist to expect he can’t haul the thing into the podium

[TomNokoe]

For some reason I have a lot of confidence in Hadjar and think he will do better than this.

I really like Hadjar, but Lawson is quick at Suzuka!!

[tourister46a]

This Hadjar dude has been pretty quick. Tsunoda binned it in Q3 last week trying to keep up.

 

Verstappen P2

Hadjar P9

Lawson P12

Tsunoda P13