‘It was a nice surprise’ – Permane hails Tsunoda’s skills as ‘in line with the top drivers’

Alan Permane believes that Yuki Tsunoda’s skills as a driver – including his feedback and work outside of the car as well as in it – are “really in line with the top drivers”, something that the team boss admits came as a “nice surprise” when he first worked with Tsunoda.

Since joining Racing Bulls as Racing Director at the start of 2024 – before being promoted to Team Principal this July – Permane has now worked with three of the four drivers currently racing for the two Red Bull teams, with Liam Lawson returning to the sister squad in a swap with Tsunoda earlier in the season where he now partners Isack Hadjar.

As such, when quizzed during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend on what stood out about Tsunoda during the Japanese driver’s time at Racing Bulls, Permane highlighted numerous qualities that the 25-year-old displayed.

“His speed [stands out], for one thing,” said Permane.

“I didn’t know Yuki at all before I started with the team in ’24, and I was immediately impressed by him – by his pace, by how he can handle the tyres, his Qualifying pace, how he could get on top of the tyres as quickly as he did to extract the most out of the car in Qualifying.

“That was the very first thing that surprised me. And honestly, his feedback, and the way he is in the car, the way he drives, the way he is out of the car, are really in line with the top drivers.

“He's a great driver. And honestly, that was a little bit of a – let’s say it was a surprise. I guess I hadn’t thought about it, but it was a nice surprise when I got to start working with him.”

For now, the drivers that Permane is most focused on are Hadjar and Lawson as the pair look to maximise Racing Bulls’ performance during the final seven Grands Prix of the campaign, while Tsunoda will be hoping to extend a decent run of form that saw him claim a season-best P6 last time out in Baku.