Yuki Tsunoda reveals the differences between the challenging RB21 and the forgiving VCARB 02. The Japanese driver, along with Liam Lawson, is in the unique position of having driven both cars this season, and can only come to one conclusion: ‘The narrow operating window of the RB21 is really hard to find.’
With the GP Bahrain behind him, Yuki Tsunoda has driven the RB21 as often as the VCARB 02 this season. The Japanese driver made a leap forward during his second race in the unpredictable Red Bull car, finishing in the top ten along with teammate Max Verstappen. Despite Tsunoda’s success in scoring valuable points for Red Bull, the driver reveals that the two cars do indeed differ significantly from each other.
“The VCARB has a much larger window in which the car performs well, so whatever you do, that car works pretty well with any kind of balance,” Tsunoda explains about his old car at Racing Bulls. “The Red Bull, on the other hand, has a specific setup and a specific window, tire, and everything. That narrow window is really hard to find.””The narrow operating window of the RB21 is therefore the biggest adjustment for the Japanese driver. “I’ve never really thought about warming up (the car) and how exactly to warm up and adjust. So those kinds of things are currently the hardest to learn.” Christian Horner, however, has good news for the new Red Bull driver. The team boss had previously indicated that Red Bull hopes to widen the operating window with upgrades.
Progress
In the meantime, Tsunoda continues to gradually get to know the RB21 better. The Japanese driver has already made some progress, but hopes to be able to take more steps soon. “That will come with experience. Every weekend I try different things and sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes badly. But I think these kinds of ups and downs are very normal for me, so I just take my time and slowly but surely move forward. I won’t rush it, but so far I’m happy with how quickly I can make progress.”
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