Liam Lawson outlines big change he’s seen in Yuki Tsunoda after having ‘a lot to learn’

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Liam Lawson believes Yuki Tsunoda has improved significantly during his time in Formula 1 since making his debut in 2021 while Visa Cash App RB were still AlphaTauri.

The Japanese driver was off the pace early in his career, getting comfortably beaten by his more experienced teammate Pierre Gasly.

But since his rocky start, Tsunoda has developed into a very reliable midfield driver and has led the RB team forward this year.

He outscored Daniel Ricciardo during their time as teammates earlier this year, outlining Tsunoda’s improvement as a driver since being fast-tracked into F1.

Tsunoda had a very brief junior career and moved to the highest level with the support of Honda after just one Formula 2 season in 2020.

Lawson has competed well against Tsunoda and scored points at the United States Grand Prix. The Kiwi has also told to the Red Flags podcast what changes he has seen in Tsunoda over his F1 career.

Liam Lawson thinks Yuki Tsunoda is ‘more mature’ now than when he started in F1

Tsunoda suffered some bad luck last time out at the Mexico City Grand Prix after he was involved in an incident in the opening stages of the race.

Despite his very short race in Mexico after failing to see the chequered flag, Tsunoda has stayed out of incidents much more compared to his rookie season.

In 2021, Tsunoda headed into Formula 1 underprepared after being parachuted in without gathering experience in a reserve driver role.

He made critical errors during the race weekends at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and in France at Paul Ricard as the Honda-backed prospect struggled to adapt.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko annoyed by what Yuki Tsunoda has done amid Red Bull seat battle

Lawson explained that Tsunoda is a much better driver now after being faced with plenty to learn in the opening stages of his career.

He said: “He crashes less. I don’t know. I think it comes with age. He’s just more mature now than he was. I think at the same time, he came into F1 without doing anything that I’ve done.

“So, he came into F1 from doing a year of F2. No reserve, no nothing, just straight in at that age. So, I think he probably had a lot to learn very quickly and similar, I guess, to now. But he hadn’t done that same prep. I think that’s why it’s come a long way in the last couple of years.”

Yuki Tsunoda has improved but is unlikely to be promoted to Red Bull

Red Bull have struggled by their lofty standards this season, despite Max Verstappen leading the Drivers’ Championship.

The Austrian team are now third in the Constructors’ Championship behind McLaren and Ferrari, partly due to Sergio Perez’s lacklustre season.

Perez’s lack of form and pure pace may force Red Bull into dropping the Mexican for 2025. Tsunoda isn’t a contender for Red Bull and may be wondering what more he needs to do to be given a chance.

Lawson is a more likely candidate if there is a vacancy alongside Verstappen next year, as he has hit the ground running beside Tsunoda since returning to F1 with RB.