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Red Bull new recruit Yuki Tsunoda has been told to get as close to his world champion teammate Max Verstappen as possible at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend and he certainly delivered in the first practice session on Friday.

Yuki Tsunoda finally has his promotion at Red Bull. He was elevated last week and Liam Lawson was demoted to Red Bull’s second team — Racing Bulls — after failing to score points in the season’s first two races.

Tsunoda, 24, has shown good speed in his Racing Bulls car so far and lost out on a points-scoring finish when he had to pit because of a front wing issue late in the Chinese Grand Prix. But don’t expect that speed to translate to race-winning speed in Japan. Tsunoda is +4000 to win the race at BetMGM and is the No. 7 favorite.

Here's a guide that tells you what you need to know about the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. It's the third round of the 2025 F1 season.

Or can Max Verstappen sign off Red Bull's power unit partnership, which ends at the end of 2025, with Japanese manufacturers Honda with a fourth successive win in their special livery. Friday looks set to be mild and sunny with highs of 15°C,