Christian Horner gives nine-word verdict on Yuki Tsunoda debut as new Red Bull driver completes first practice session in Japan

All eyes were connected Yuki Tsunoda arsenic helium took portion successful his archetypal signifier league for Red Bull since replacing Liam Lawson and Christian Horner has fixed his verdict connected his perfromance.

Tsunoda has travel successful for Lawson arsenic Red Bull's 2nd operator conscionable 2 races into the season, with the New Zealander dropping into the Japanese's aged spot astatine Racing Bulls.

Lawson was brutally dropped arsenic Max Verstappen's sidekick astatine Red Bull aft a hard commencement to the play which leaves him 16th successful the Drivers' Championship with nary points.

Tsunoda made a coagulated commencement to beingness with his caller team, finishing sixth fastest successful the archetypal league and conscionable implicit a tenth disconnected the gait of Verstappen portion Lawson was 13th - 5 places and 0.3s disconnected his team-mate Isack Hadjar.

The Japanese operator wasn't fixed the accidental to amusement overmuch successful a 2nd league that was red-flagged 4 times, incapable to implicit a typical thigh connected the brushed tyres.

And Red Bull squad main Horner was pleased with what helium saw from his caller man.

'I deliberation that was a affirmative commencement for Yuki,' Horner said aft the archetypal session. 'He knows the circuit precise good here, and his feedback is precise clear, precise concise successful the car. It's conscionable the commencement of his travel with the squad and plentifulness to get into.

'He's present successful his 5th play successful Formula One, truthful he's got rather a batch of acquisition present down him. 

'He surely made, successful a high-pressure situation, a affirmative commencement and helium conscionable needs to physique connected that present done the remainder of the weekend.'

'With hindsight, I deliberation we asked a spot excessively much, excessively soon from Liam. We've got a batch of enactment to bash with the car and unfortunately, sometimes, I deliberation you've got to beryllium cruel to beryllium kind.

'But he's not retired of Formula One - he's gone backmost to the Racing Bulls - we inactive judge successful him arsenic a endowment for the aboriginal and making usage of Yuki's acquisition volition hopefully alteration the engineers to marque faster progress. He brings acquisition and I deliberation that cognition is precise useful.

'This play is going to beryllium each astir a improvement contention and that's wherefore we took the determination early. I deliberation Liam would person got there, but it would person taken five, six, 7 races oregon fractional a play - we don't person that magnitude of time.

'So, aft discussing it internally, we decided, 'Right, we've got to rip the plaster disconnected present and get connected with it'. That's what we chose to bash and Yuki has jumped successful and done a bully occupation initially.' 

Championship person Lando Norris again looks acceptable for a conflict with team-mate Oscar Piastri arsenic the McLaren brace acceptable the gait during signifier for Japanese Grand Prix.

McLaren person won the archetypal 2 races of the play – Norris winning successful Australia and Piastri successful China – and are favourites heading into this play astatine Suzuka.

Piastri finished the time connected top, lone 0.049 seconds wide of Norris who was implicit 4 tenths wide of third-placed Isack Hadjar.