The Suzuka Circuit buzzed with anticipation as Yuki Tsunoda made his Red Bull Racing debut during the opening practice session of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.
The Japanese star delivered an impressive performance, finishing just a tenth off teammate Max Verstappen’s pace, as McLaren’s Lando Norris topped the timesheets.
Red Bull Racing rolled out their revamped line-up with Tsunoda stepping into the RB21 for the first time, while Racing Bulls welcomed back Liam Lawson. Fans eagerly watched to see if Tsunoda could secure a top-ten finish in his home Grand Prix debut with the senior team. The crowd erupted as Oliver Bearman led the field out, but the loudest cheers were reserved for Tsunoda, who soaked in the moment at his home track.
Meanwhile, Alpine gave Ryo Hirakawa a chance to shine, fulfilling one of their young driver obligations in Jack Doohan’s car. With all three tyre compounds in use, Verstappen set the early benchmark on softs with a 1:30.7, edging out Fernando Alonso on hards by 0.009 seconds and Charles Leclerc on mediums by 0.022 seconds. The Dutchman stretched his lead further on his next lap, pulling a full second clear of Alonso.
Haas faced a hiccup with Bearman, who returned to the garage after his installation lap due to an undisclosed issue. The team resolved it swiftly, sending him back out ten minutes later, though his eventual 1:34.5 left him last on the timesheet.
As the session progressed, Mercedes’ George Russell seized the lead with a 1:28.8 on fresh soft tyres, seven-tenths ahead of Verstappen, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri slotted into third. Tsunoda, still finding his feet, radioed Red Bull, “Balance is okay, to be honest I’m not really pushing yet.” Initially a second off Verstappen, he later closed the gap to just three-tenths.
Verstappen, however, wasn’t pleased with his RB21, reporting over the radio, “Super weird, the car is flexing a lot.” Elsewhere, Williams’ Carlos Sainz had a comical moment, missing his pit box and quipping, “Oh, I missed it guys, I thought we were at the other end,” before rejoining the track.
Mid-session, Tsunoda switched to soft tyres and briefly climbed to second, only for Verstappen to edge him out by a tenth. Ferrari’s Leclerc then joined the fray, leapfrogging both Red Bull drivers on softs. Norris, after a brief off-track excursion, nailed a 1:28.5 to take P1, prompting Lawson to jokingly tell Racing Bulls, “Nothing to do with me!”
In the final 15 minutes, teams shifted to longer runs. Tsunoda trailed Verstappen on softs but delivered a consistent stint. McLaren reassured Norris, “From what we can see, we don’t see damage to the tyre,” urging him to push. The Briton, unimpressed, held firm at the top, finishing 0.163 seconds ahead of Russell, with Leclerc third.
The session showcased Tsunoda’s potential and set the stage for an electrifying weekend. The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix continues over 53 laps of the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka Circuit on Sunday, April 6.
Japanese GP: FP1 Lap Times:
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:28.549
2 George Russell Mercedes +0.163
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.416
4 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.502
5 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +0.516
6 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull Racing +0.623
7 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +0.673
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls +0.676
9 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes +0.735
10 Carlos Sainz Williams +0.784
11 Alexander Albon Williams +0.843
12 Ryo Hirakawa Alpine +0.845
13 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +0.987
14 Pierre Gasly Alpine +0.998
15 Oscar Piastri McLaren +1.159
16 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +1.209
17 Nico Hulkenberg Kick Sauber +1.474
18 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team +1.528
19 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team +1.574
20 Gabriel Bortoleto Kick Sauber +1.598
