Yuki Tsunoda believes he “could have done slightly better” in Bahrain despite scoring first points

TOI Sports Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Apr 15, 2025, 22:57 IST

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Yuki Tsunoda secured his first points for Red Bull at the Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing ninth despite pit stop issues that also plagued teammate Max Verstappen. While pleased with his progress, Tsunoda aims for improved qualifying in upcoming races. Verstappen, facing balance and tire problems, finished sixth, leading to speculation about his future with the team if issues persist.

Yuki Tsunoda believes he “could have done slightly better” in Bahrain despite scoring first points

Image credit: Yuki Tsunoda/Instagram

Yuki Tsunoda is making sure his much-talked-about promotion from Racing Bulls to Red Bull counts this season. After not bringing any results in his debut race in Japan, Tsunoda collected his first points — two in total — at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The 24-year-old has said he is in no rush and has small goals ahead, like qualifying “slightly better” in the next race, the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda is happy but wants his performance to be better

At the Bahrain Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda qualified tenth and finished one position better at 9th, despite the issues bothering not just him but teammate Max Verstappen as well. Tsunoda also complained of longer pit stops, just like Verstappen. “The pace was quite good and I could have done a slightly better job than this one and also the team could have done a slightly better job in terms of pit stop, I don’t know what happened there as well,” he said.
“It is still a learning curve, still appreciate the team, how supportive they are. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to progress as much as this. So, I’ll take these first points. Still happy with the performance I have, just keep doing what I’m doing and yeah, definitely have to continue like this and results will come in the future, but at the same time, I'm not really rushing,” he added.
Tsunoda assured he is ready for the challenges ahead and will see how he copes. “I hope to do slightly better in Qualifying and that should make my life easier."

He also took to Instagram to share a post after securing points in Bahrain. “First points on the board with @redbullracing happy with the progress made from the start of the weekend,” he wrote in the caption.
Also Read: Max Verstappen on coming 6th at the Bahrain Grand Prix with Red Bull’s balance and tyre issues: ‘It’s the maximum that we could have done”
On the other hand, Verstappen said after coming sixth in the race that it was the best they could do in the situation they were in. There were longer pit stops, a delayed start, balance and tyre issues, and what not to bother the drivers. Now, even rumours have started circulating that Verstappen may leave Red Bull for a better car if the issues remain unsolved.

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