Yuki Tsunoda asked to “approach” Max Verstappen from Red Bull as much as possible
“It has been shown to have a good potential to be a world champion, even if the Red Bull seems to be a bit in difficulty now.
“As for performance (Horner) he wants me to be as close as possible to Max.
“In some races I can help with the strategy, but in some situations it also promised me that if I could be in front of Max, it would not have necessarily asked me to exchange positions and make Max win.”
Lawson was promoted by the second Red Bull team for the 2025 season, but was sent back to racing bulls after fighting the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.
Lawson qualified 18th at the opening event of the season in Melbourne and crashed out of the race. In China, he qualified last both for the sprint and for the main Grand Prix, ending 14 ° and 12th.
Verstappen seemed not to agree with the decoction of Lawson “likes” a Instagram posts, external From the former F1 Giedo Van der Garde driver who described him as a “panic move”.
Tsunoda, who had previously been with the second Red Bull team since he made his debut in F1 in 2021, said he had yet to speak with Verstappen since he replaced Lawson.
“I mentioned some time ago in the past, but it is a little different from how it behaves in the car and outside the car,” said Tsunoda.
“I don’t really worry about the relationship that we will have on both sides. I know what I want to do and probably as a guide and how he thinks.”
Looking forward to his Grand Prix of the house on Sunday, Tsunoda said he will be satisfied if he manages to end up in the top 10.
“Obviously I want to say points or a podium or other,” Tsunoda said.
“But at the same time, realistically, you think you immediately jump into the new car with limited sessions, it is quite difficult.
“I think what I can say for now is if I can score points – top 10 – I will be happy.”
The complete interview with Tsunoda will air on 5 Live Formula 1 Thursday at 20:00 BST
