Yuki Tsunoda has addressed a major difference in Red Bull’s car compared to what he is used to, following an early qualifying exit at the Japanese Grand Prix.
In his first qualifying session as a Red Bull driver, Tsunoda was eliminated in the second part of the session and will start from 15th on the grid – behind Liam Lawson.
Tsunoda had shown strong pace during free practice, although a mistake on his final lap in Q2 cost him a spot in the top 10.
There was impressive pace in the RB21, with Max Verstappen having secured pole position after setting a new lap record; however, the Dutchman ran a very different level of rear wing downforce than Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver revealed after qualifying that he chose his rear wing level and that he did have the speed for Q3.
“It’s a bit different to Max’s, but the wing level I chose in the end,” Tsunoda told Sky F1.
“Still, there was pace to go through into Q3 today, looking at the Q1 pace. I just couldn’t put it together in the end.”
It marked a disappointing way to start his career with the Austrian outfit, especially at his home event.
Despite this, Tsunoda insisted he did not feel significant pressure and pointed out how difficult the shape of the RB21 is to adjust to.
“Surprisingly, I think I feel okay in terms of pressure,” added Tsunoda. “The last Q2 lap was probably a little bit the most pressurising time, out of the previous sessions.
“I probably felt the pressure more last year than this year, this year I just have more of a mindset to enjoy it and feel the car.
“At the same time, I had pace from FP3, I didn’t expect to be like this, how I ended up [eliminated] like that today. It’s a shame, but at least the positive is I started to understand more about the car.
“It’s quite difficult to operate this car properly, it’s quite narrow, more than a big car. At least I feel confident in the car, and I know what to do for the future, I guess.”
