YUKI PUSHING FOR A PODIUM

Hometown hero Yuki Tsunoda is talking tough as he steps into the hottest seat in Formula One.

Tsunoda says he is targeting a top three finish at Suzuka in Japan, with a top-10 result and championship points as the bare minimum, when he lines up alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing.

His move into the top team at the Bulls, swapping spots with Liam Lawson after the New Zealander's two failed runs in Australia and China, puts him directly in the spotlight and facing the toughest challenge in Formula One.

But the feisty Japanese driver is not frightened.

“I don’t want to raise expectations too much but I want to finish on the podium at this Japanese Grand Prix,” says Tsunoda.

“The thing that I’m looking forward to most is that there couldn’t be a more pressurised, challenging situation than this."

Adding extra pressure, Red Bull will be helping Honda to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its first grand prix win – with its in-house RA272 at the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix with American Richie Ginther driving – at its home track and in a special white livery.

“That said, I know it won’t be easy right from the start.”

His preparation for Japan has included two days in the Red Bull simulator, where he has been coming to terms with an RB21 that is described by everyone – including Verstappen – as a tricky beast.

"I definitely got the impression that the front-end is very responsive, as people often say. But if you ask whether it felt tricky to handle, I wouldn’t say it gave me a particularly strange feeling, at least in the simulator,” he says.

"I spent about two days in the simulator. From that experience, I didn’t find the car to be that challenging to drive."

Honda is making a big splash for Suzuka as is is about to end its partnership with the Bulls as powerplant supplier for both Red Bull Racing and the Racing Bulls, where Lawson will try and pick up the pieces of his F1 career in Japan.

It has staged a series of events and Tsunoda arrived for one in a classic Honda NSX, the company's supercar hero in the 1990s.

In another change for Japan, one of the Alpine reserve drivers – Ryo Hirakawa – will take over Jack Doohan's drive for the first practice session.

It could be seen as a move to put more pressure on the Aussie youngster, or a confidence vote because he does not need the full roster of practice time on a circuit he already knows and likes.

Either way, Doohan is taking the positives.

"I am a big fan of the food and the culture in Japan, and I love making a stop in Tokyo to experience the culture and atmosphere there," he says.

"The circuit is one I particularly love. I have raced there previously in Asian F3, but this will be my first time experiencing it in Formula One machinery which will provide a whole new challenge with its high speed and high-risk high-reward nature.

"I’ll be in the car from Free Practice 2 as Ryo drives in Free Practice 1. He has a lot of experience here so it will be good to take some of that knowledge for the weekend. The aim will be to make the most of the weekend and score some all-important points for the team.”