After a severe crash during the qualifying round for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda began his European season from the pit lane, eventually finishing in tenth place. In the lead-up to the race weekend in Monaco, the Japanese driver admitted that he has fallen significantly behind his teammate Max Verstappen, partly due to the crash. The treacherous RB21 continues to be a major issue for Tsunoda.
“Honestly, I’ve never driven with the full new package,” Yuki Tsunoda sighed to the media in Monaco. “Even Imola was a bit different. Besides, I don’t think I’ll have the full package in Monaco either,” he added. “I’ve simply taken a step back, and that’s my fault,” he referred to the incident in Imola.
‘Wouldn’t Have Happened at VCARB’
After the crash in Emilia-Romagna, the young Red Bull driver recovered by driving from the pit lane to the tenth place, thus earning a single World Championship point for the Austrian racing team. He explained that, after being hastily promoted to the main team in Japan, he still needs to learn how the RB21 responds to setup changes.
“The qualifying in Imola, honestly, wouldn’t have happened if I understood the car,” Tsunoda explained. “After all, I haven’t had such a crash at Racing Bulls since 2022. I just pushed a bit too much. I can’t gauge how the car behaves when we change the setup.” Tsunoda has collected seven World Championship points in his first five Grands Prix with Red Bull. For comparison, Max Verstappen scored eighty-eight points in the same period.
