RB man Tsunoda broke through the apparent barrier between F1's top and bottom five teams by beating both Aston Martins in Melbourne qualifying. He also outqualified Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton by claiming eighth on the starting grid, just narrowly behind Mercedes' George Russell.
The Japanese driver couldn't keep the faster Astons of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll behind in the race, but a retirement for Max Verstappen allowed him to stay eighth on the road, moving up to seventh after Alonso's penalty.
