Yuki Tsunoda, who replaced the struggling Liam Lawson as Red Bull's second driver, is still "finding his feet", says team principal Christian Horner. (Highlights | More Formula 1 News)
The Japanese driver was previously with Racing Bulls before being selected to make the step up to Red Bull.
That came after Lawson had failed to impress in the first two races of the season.
Tsunoda finished in 12th at the Japanese Grand Prix, five places ahead of Lawson.
And Horner feels Tsunoda is swiftly settling in.
Horner said: "He's settled into the team. He's given very good feedback. His P1 was very strong, P3 was fine."
"In Q1 he was only a tenth away from Max. In Q2, he made a mistake when he was 15kph quicker than he's ever been going into Turn 1. He had a moment, and then you're chasing the rest of the lap.
"Qualifying dictated his race, a race where I can't remember seeing any overtakes. Had he qualified higher, he would have finished higher."
Red Bull are likely to prioritise the drivers' title this year, instead of the constructors' championship, meaning Tsunoda will have to be close enough to Verstappen's pace to help the team strategically.
Lawson criticised the Red Bull car for being difficult to drive, whereas Tsunoda stated that he is "learning and gaining more confidence in the car."
Tsunoda added: "I am happy considering the amount of time I had in the car. Fortunately, I have Max as my team-mate, [so] I can learn from so I will keep up what I'm doing and I'm excited for Bahrain."
Tsunoda will have the chance to impress at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he finished ninth on his Formula One debut in 2021.
