Yuki Tsunoda admitted that waiting in the wings as a reserve driver left him \u201cdying to be in the car\u201d, making his surprise return to the grid at the Dutch Grand Prix a welcome opportunity to prove what he can do.<\/p>\n
The news broke on Wednesday that Red Bull<\/a>\u2019s Isack Hadjar<\/a> would be unable to drive due to a wrist injury<\/a>, so Liam Lawson<\/a> will step up to the top team whilst he recovers. That leaves an empty seat alongside Arvid Lindblad<\/a> at Racing Bulls<\/a>, which is where Tsunoda comes in.<\/p>\n He lost his full-time seat at the end of last season and switched roles to test and reserve driver for both sister teams \u2013 as part of that, he has attended the majority of this season\u2019s races and closely followed how Max Verstappen<\/a>, Hadjar, Lawson and Lindblad have approached the new regulations.<\/p>\n Although Tsunoda has tried to learn as much as possible on the sidelines, he confirmed that he\u2019s had less than two days to prepare for his comeback and will have to adapt quickly to this generation of cars.<\/p>\n Speaking on media day in Zandvoort, he said: \u201cIt\u2019s great to be back, obviously. When I heard this news, I was in Greece having a nice mix of training and\u2026 at that moment, I was probably lying on the beach having a nice time.<\/p>\n \u201cOn Tuesday I think I got the call that potentially I might be in the seat this weekend. When I heard, I was like half excited, half still doubtful because anything can happen, but I was super excited too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was all confirmed that I\u2019m racing this weekend. I\u2019m super excited and physically I\u2019m feeling ready. I\u2019ve done a couple of TPCs. It will be my first time in this car but still, I\u2019m very excited.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I understand, I will be in the seat for now \u2013 this weekend \u2013 and also I think it depends on Isack\u2019s recovery. I hope that recovery goes pretty fast. I\u2019m not sure about the next Grand Prix but my objective is to have fun. I think I\u2019ve been waiting for a long time. I was watching the screen for the last few months.<\/p>\n \u201cSince the season started, I\u2019ve been dying to be in the car and compete with the drivers. I think this moment I will just enjoy, and obviously give my 100% performance. Hopefully that will bring some good results.\u201d<\/p>\n Racing Bulls recently overtook Alpine<\/a> for fifth in the standings<\/a> and are eager to consolidate their position as \u2018best of the rest\u2019 over the remaining rounds, setting Tsunoda a high bar to reach.<\/p>\n It\u2019s nevertheless a challenge that he\u2019s ready for, especially as he had years of experience working with the team and sees this weekend as a chance to demonstrate why he deserves a seat, with the Japanese driver making no secret of his desire to find a way back into the sport.<\/p>\n