Max Verstappen: “Suzuka has always been a special circuit to race at with a lot of history for us, especially winning the Constructors’ Championship in 2023 and my second Drivers’ Championship here too.
“Of course, it is Yuki’s first race with the Team in front of his home crowd so it will be a busy race to welcome him to the Team! We have a special white Japan livery this week that is a tribute to Honda, which looks cool, and I am also racing in my white Japan helmet, inspired by the livery.
“I’m looking forward to spending some time here in Japan and to be able relax a bit too in Tokyo before the Showrun and before heading to Suzuka. Looking back to China, on the second stint the performance was a lot more promising, and we were seeing a lot more pace in the car.
“The Team has been working hard to optimise our performance and I have been back at the factory on the sim this week too. I always enjoy racing at this track: it has a lot of high speed corners and one we typically race well at, so hopefully we can bring out the best of the car and improve here this weekend.”
Yuki Tsunoda: “It’s been a bit of a crazy week!
“I was happy when I was told the news I would be driving for Oracle Red Bull Racing, my main emotions were excitement and motivation. I feel honoured to be driving for the Team. To make my debut for Oracle Red Bull Racing at my home race in Japan makes it even more crazy.
“This week is going be insane, it’s a mix of pressure for the challenge and excitement. This is a huge step for my career and what I want to achieve. The message from the Team has been to keep doing what you’re doing and perform. I need to be as close to Max as possible to try and compete for the Constructors’ title and benefit the Team strategically in every race.
“I am aware of the challenges the RB21 has and my job is to try to understand it and develop this car too. My first challenge is to get to grips with this car, I have driven it on the sim but my first time will be in practice, so I have to get up to speed quickly.
“I’ve been working with my new team in the UK over the last week to prepare as best I can and I will continue that ethic once we get to Suzuka. I will take learnings from Max and try and get the most from this weekend for the Team.
“My goal is to drive fast, give lots of feedback and make the car better.”
Stats & Facts
• Max is aiming to become the first driver to win four consecutive Japan Grand Prix’s at Suzuka. His third-straight win last year matched Michael Schumacher’s run from 2000 to 2002.
• Yuki makes his Oracle Red Bull Racing debut this weekend at the same venue that Max made his first-ever appearance in Formula One where he took part in FP1 aged just 17 years and three days.
• Finishing 10th in Suzuka last year, Yuki became the first Japanese driver to score points in their home race since 2012.
• Max reached 3,000 career laps led whist on his way to securing victory in Japan last season. Only three other drivers in F1 history have achieved such a feat – Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Schumacher.
• Suzuka has been the home to three of the Team’s championship clinching performances. Max’s victories in 2022 and 2023 secured the Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors’ Championship a year later. Seb also defended his Drivers’ crown here in 2011.
