Yuki Tsunoda in search of answers after 16th place: “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong”

Yuki Tsunoda wore a grim expression after finishing the Austrian Grand Prix in 16th and last place, the Red Bull driver admitting that he finds it really, really difficult to identify the cause of his struggles at the wheel of the RB21.

A complicated weekend for the Japanese

The qualifications had already been complicated for Yuki Tsunoda, eliminated in Q1 after only setting the 18th time. The afternoon proved to be just as challenging at the Red Bull Ring, where he received a 10-second penalty – along with two penalty points – for causing a collision with Franco Colapinto’s Alpine.

Although the Japanese driver avoided any further penalty after an investigation for potentially forcing Lance Stroll off the track in another maneuver, he failed to move up in the standings and crossed the finish line in 16th position.

Reflecting on his race after getting out of the car, Yuki Tsunoda – who hasn’t scored any points in the last four Grand Prix – was seeking answers to try to improve.

« To be honest, the maneuver on Franco was a bit unnecessary, » acknowledged the 25-year-old driver. « I probably could have waited another lap, but it was a bad decision on my part. Otherwise, the pace itself was quite bad too, I don’t really know what I’m doing wrong, to be honest. I’ll need to dig deeper, but it’s really, really hard to understand why I’m driving so slowly. »

Work to be done to find performance

A few days before the British Grand Prix, the second in a back-to-back race sequence, Yuki Tsunoda was asked how he intended to use this short window of time: analyze the car further or take a break after a challenging weekend.

« I will dig even deeper, » explained the Red Bull driver. « I need to analyze everything, and if I can adapt something in my driving style or be inspired by what Max [Verstappen] does differently from me, no matter what it is, I’ll try everything, from left to right, to keep progressing. »

It was a complicated day for the entire Milton Keynes team, as Max Verstappen had to retire on the first lap after a collision with Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, an incident for which the Italian received a three-place grid penalty for the next race at Silverstone.

Read also: Max Verstappen gives his verdict on the contact with Kimi Antonelli at the Austrian Grand Prix