Yuki Tsunoda would have the same brake problems as Pierre Gasly last year

At the end of a disappointing 2022 season for AlphaTauri, the new 2023 campaign unfolds under the same conditions for the team based in Faenza. Whenever the team’s drivers find themselves in the points, the mechanics often let them down.

In Monaco, Yuki Tsunoda was well positioned to score points last month, as he was ninth with 20 laps to go. But in the last few laps of the race, which was held in the rain, he was overtaken by both McLarens and continued to drop down the leaderboard. He eventually finished 15th, while his teammate Nyck de Vries claimed 12th place.

The Japanese driver had a lot of trouble with his brakes, complaining on the radio. He even had an off-track moment at Mirabeau while struggling to manage the temperatures. His brakes attracted attention again in Spain last weekend due to the excessive levels of carbon dust they emitted when heavily used.

Asked to explain the situation, Tsunoda stated that an efficiency issue, which was exaggerated in wet conditions, had been persisting at AlphaTauri for a long time. This problem had also affected his former teammate Pierre Gasly during the year 2022.

The braking issues we are facing probably go back to last year. It used to happen more often to Pierre than to me. But it happens to me more often [this season]. Literally, I don’t feel any effectiveness when braking. The brakes don’t warm up, there’s no sensation of effectiveness, so I can’t push as much as I would like in rainy conditions.

« Obviously, the tires are getting colder, it’s getting worse and worse. In Monaco, I had problems from the first day, which also affected my qualifying performance. It’s a bit of a shame because I have to make additional adjustments compared to the other drivers just to warm up the brakes, which is a bit useless. »

An improvement since two races

The native of Kanagawa declared that it was more of a problem with the braking system rather than a calibration issue, which affected the cars regardless of his particular driving style.

He also explained that it was rather an engineering problem when it came to finding a solution that would allow him to reduce his excessive use of the engine brake to slow down.

Tsunoda, who finished 12th in Barcelona after serving a five-second penalty for pushing Guanyu Zhou off the track at turn 1, felt that the team made progress on their brakes in the last two Grand Prix. We made some adjustments to the brakes to achieve a more aggressive temperature, and we had to manage the brakes slightly this time.

Actually, it was much better because the efficiency was much higher than in Monaco. The team did a good job and I am quite satisfied with it, so we took a step forward.

Now it remains to confirm this step forward on Sunday at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit.