has been told to 'keep doing what he is doing and perform' after replacing ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. The home hero will make his debut at the Suzuka Circuit this weekend after stepping up from just two weekends into the 2025 campaign. Tsunoda has been demonstrating performance in Red Bull's sister team for years and dominated Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and to a certain extent Lawson too, during their spells as team-mates.

Despite this success, he was overlooked by Christian Horner and Helmut Marko as a replacement for the struggling Sergio Perez, with Red Bull's leadership citing concerns regarding his temperament and consistency. However, after an immense start to the 2025 campaign, Tsunoda's performances became impossible to ignore.

Addressing his remit ahead of his Red Bull debut, Tsunoda explained: "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 to 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 [Verstappen] 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."

The 24-year-old will be under immediate pressure to perform. Verstappen is already eight points behind Lando Norris at the top of the Drivers' Championship standings, while McLaren are 42 ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship, with Mercedes sandwiched between the two organisations.