Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko witnessed Yuki Tsunoda having another frustrating race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Japanese driver started the Grand Prix in seventh place but finished outside the points. Marko agrees with Tsunoda that a botched pit stop caused the driver to lose positions. Additionally, the RB21, like that of teammate Max Verstappen, was set up for rain.
Yuki Tsunoda achieved his best qualifying result as a Red Bull driver on Saturday in Spa. The Japanese driver was allowed to start the race on Sunday in seventh place, even though he received a brand new floor for his RB21 just before the crucial qualifying session. Unfortunately, the new component, which teammate Max Verstappen has been using for some time, did not help in achieving a good race result. Tsunoda finished thirteenth, thus again failing to score World Championship points.
“It’s very frustrating,” the Red Bull driver reflects on the race. “It started with a miscommunication. They called me in when I was already past the pit lane entrance. A lap on these long circuits can really make a difference, and unfortunately, we missed that opportunity. I lost four, maybe even five positions because of this. I was also stuck behind Pierre (Gasly). I tried to overtake him, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.” According to the Japanese driver, he simply wasn’t fast enough on the straights to get past his former teammate.
Incorrect Setup
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko had also hoped for a better result for the Japanese driver. The Austrian had seen an upward trend in the newest Red Bull driver in Great Britain. “His pit stop was indeed not ideal, we lost places there,” Marko admits to Sky Deutschland. “From seventh place to thirteenth, that’s not what we promised him.” The advisor reveals that Red Bull had set up the cars, including Verstappen’s, for rain, which is why the Dutchman also couldn’t get past Charles Leclerc. “But we still take something to Hungary. We’ll see how the race unfolds there.”
