Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix

Yuki Tsunoda's performance at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix marked a significant operational gain for Racing Bulls, converting an 8th place grid slot into a 7th place finish and securing the team's first points of the season.

The Japanese driver commenced the race from the 8th position on the grid, a strong qualifying effort for the Racing Bulls team. Throughout the 58-lap event at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Tsunoda demonstrated effective race management, ultimately improving his starting position by one place to secure 7th at the chequered flag. He completed the full race distance in 1:22:02.444, a testament to the reliability and consistent pace of the RB chassis. His personal best lap time of 1:21.134 was recorded on lap 46, ranking him 11th among all competitors for fastest laps during the Grand Prix. This result provided Racing Bulls with 6 crucial championship points, elevating Tsunoda's season total from 0 to 6 points and his championship standing from 18th to 11th. The official results, including specific timings and statuses for all competitors, are meticulously documented by the [FIA — F1 World Championship](https://www.fia.com/events/fia-formula-one-world-championship).

The competitive landscape of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix saw several high-profile retirements, including Max Verstappen due to brakes on lap 3 and Lewis Hamilton with a power unit issue on lap 15. These incidents, while reducing the overall field, still required Tsunoda to execute a clean and disciplined race to capitalize. He successfully navigated the 58 laps, avoiding the late-race accident that sidelined [George Russell at the 2019 United States Grand Prix](/results/2019-cota-george-russell) on lap 56. Tsunoda's teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, starting from 18th, finished 12th, one lap down, highlighting Tsunoda's comparative advantage in race pace and strategy execution on this occasion. This consistent performance allowed the Racing Bulls team to outscore Aston Martin's [Fernando Alonso at the 2019 United States Grand Prix](/results/2019-cota-fernando-alonso), who finished 8th, and both Haas drivers. The detailed breakdown of lap times and sector performances, crucial for post-race analysis, is often available through data providers like [Jolpica/Ergast — 2026 season data](https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/2026.json). This strong showing for Tsunoda, contrasting with [Lando Norris at the 2019 United States Grand Prix](/results/2019-cota-lando-norris)'s podium finish, underscores the varied challenges and outcomes across the field.