Palmer sees "golden opportunity" for Tsunoda at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes the Bahrain Grand Prix will be a "golden opportunity" for Yuki Tsunoda and his Red Bull Racing career.

The Japanese driver got the opportunity he had been waiting for during the Japanese Grand Prix, replacing Liam Lawson at the Austrian team to take the second seat, giving him an opportunity that looked to have passed him by.

Although he could only qualify P15 and finish P12 in front of his home fans, the pace that was shown in the free practice session by Tsunoda was promising, and Palmer saw clear signs of potential.

Tsunoda "settled" very quickly into the RB21 

"We know the Red Bull car isn’t easy to drive, and yet Tsunoda seemed to settle into it very quickly on Friday, looking more comfortable than Liam Lawson and even Sergio Perez did for much of the end of last year," the Brit explained.

In the practice sessions, the Japanese driver was often only a tenth or two behind his teammate Max Verstappen, but things went wrong in Q2. Tsunoda started his fast lap on new soft tyres that were undercooled at the rear, costing him three-tenths immediately, with the difference enough to keep him out of Q3.

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"He immediately slid with oversteer and a lack of traction through the first corners, losing three tenths in just a few corners," analyzes Palmer.

"The tight field in 2025 can make small deficits seem big, particularly in the first two parts of qualifying, with tiny margins potentially costing or gaining multiple positions difference on the grid."

Palmer: 'Now is the time to show what you are really capable of

With few overtaking opportunities, the race offered little chance for Tsunoda to recover. An early overtake on Liam Lawson and an undercut on Pierre Gasly meant he managed to move up slightly, but he still ended his debut weekend for Red Bull in P12. However, Palmer believes there is a bigger picture from that weekend.

"If you have speed, it is important to act on it immediately, as you can never take results for granted - especially not in that difficult second Red Bull seat. He has proven himself in the midfield, but if he wants to show that he deserves a place on the grid, this is the golden opportunity he has been waiting for years. The first weekend was promising, but now it is time for Yuki to show what he is really capable of."

This article was written in collaboration wth Mitchell van de Hoef