Yuki Tsunoda was left to rue the ill-timed appearance of the Safety Car during the final phase of the Spanish Grand Prix, as the Japanese driver finished outside the points for a second consecutive race.
Tsunoda faced an uphill battle from the outset after qualifying last on Saturday. The team opted for a pit lane start on Sunday, having made overnight suspension changes in a bid to improve the performance of the RB21. Additionally, Tsunoda was the only driver to start on medium tyres, though this strategy ultimately failed to pay off.
Despite a spirited drive that saw him make up ground, Tsunoda crossed the line in 13th – never higher than P12 at any stage of the race – and fell short of the top 10 once again.
“Well, the Safety Car didn’t help the timing,” Tsunoda admitted. “Probably without that there was a potential to score points. It is what it is. [I had] pretty much the same car from FP1. The pace was alright but it is not the pace I’m looking [for], obviously, we are looking [for]. Yeah, it just didn’t improve at all.”
The Safety Car was deployed shortly after Tsunoda had pitted from 15th, meaning several of his rivals benefitted from ‘cheap’ stops under caution. The timing left the 24-year-old frustrated, with his recovery effort ultimately in vain.
“A pit lane start is never ideal,” he continued. “But we knew we would need to try something different for the race today to try and make up some ground. We were trying out different things with the set-up; it didn’t do much in the end today, but we have an idea on how to hopefully improve this in Canada.
“We are not where we want to be, but we will keep working as a team and aim to remain consistent across a weekend.”
Since joining Red Bull’s main outfit, Tsunoda has completed seven races, scoring in three of them, with a best finish of ninth. In contrast, team-mate Max Verstappen has taken two victories and another podium in that time, underlining the challenge facing Tsunoda as he looks to match the reigning champion.
Next up is the Canadian Grand Prix, a venue where Tsunoda has never scored in three previous appearances – a record he will be eager to change as he searches for more consistency and momentum.