Yuki Tsunoda has said standing on the Suzuka podium as a Red Bull driver would be a dream come true -- one that still feels "unreal" ahead of his home race.
Red Bull moved Tsunoda from the junior team, Racing Bulls, just two races into the season, with Liam Lawson going the other way.
Speaking for the first time since the switch was announced, Tsunoda said it had taken a while for the move to sink in.
"To be honest, I never expected to be racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix," Tsunoda said at a Honda event in Aoyama.
"This is the final year of Red Bull and Honda's partnership, so getting to race in Suzuka as a Red Bull Racing driver feels like fate. Everything has fallen into place in just the right way for me to be standing here today.
"Of course, I was happy about joining Red Bull, but when I thought about it carefully, the idea of suddenly racing for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix felt so unreal.
"I don't want to raise expectations too much, but for this Japanese Grand Prix, I want to finish on the podium. That said, I know it won't be easy right from the start.
"My priority is to first understand the car, how it behaves compared to the VCARB [Racing Bulls]. If I can naturally enjoy driving it as I get familiar with it in FP1, then the results will follow. And if that leads to a podium finish, that would be incredible."
Tsunoda said he is welcoming the pressure associated with being Verstappen's teammate and driving Red Bull's troublesome car.
"When I first got the call, I thought: 'Wow, this is going to be interesting,'" he said. "More than anything, I'm excited about the challenge ahead.
"There aren't many moments in life where you face this kind of extreme pressure and an opportunity as big as this, so I can only imagine that it's going to be an incredibly thrilling race."
