RB driver Yuki Tsunoda believes the red flag tyre change rule cost him a chance to lead the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The Japanese racer scored the best qualifying of his career last Sunday morning at Interlagos, putting his RB third on the grid amid tricky conditions.
A track surface greeted the F1 contingent for the GP and Tsunoda did well to retain third until pitting for extreme Wet weather tyres.
That move looked fruitful for Tsunoda, who along with team-mate Liam Lawson was flying on the Wets as the conditions worsened.
But the stoppage benefitted eventual top three Max Verstappen, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly, who hadn’t stopped and earned a free tyre change.
“I think what we did, switching to extreme, that was good,” Tsunoda said post-race.
“Just the Safety Car and the red flag came out, that was the point that went very down.
“If the red flag didn’t come out, probably I would, at some point, have overtaken a lot of cars and maybe [get into the lead, but it just didn’t come towards us.”
Still, Tsunoda and Lawson hung onto their respective RB machines after the race restarted.
Avoiding any mishaps, the duo finished seventh and ninth respectively, thanks to a 10-second penalty demoting McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to eighth.
“It wasn’t easy conditions. If you lose concentration, [there’s] a lot of consequence.
“I enjoyed the last stint, good fight with Oscar [Piastri].
“I tried to be within 10 seconds. You know, could have done a lot of things wrong, but kept it clean and tried to score P7, which is good.”
Tsunoda frustrated by Alpine’s double podium
Tsunoda’s efforts, along with Lawson’s, added eight points to RB’s tally.
The Faenza-based outfit is now in a three-way tussle for sixth in the F1 Constructors’ Championship after Alpine’s double podium in Brazil.
Alpine is sixth with 49 points, Haas is seventh with 46 points and RB is eighth with 44 points.
“The Alpines scored a lot of points which is a shame for our place in the Constructors’ Championship,” said Tsunoda.
“Overall, the rewards don’t really show our results on paper, so it’s a mixed-feeling day, but it’s nice to score points again.
“There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend and we’ll keep pushing in the last three race weekends.”
RB Technical Director Jody Egginton shared Tsunoda’s frustration, saying “there was potential for more points” in Sao Paulo.
“We’ll go away and review the race and drivers’ feedback to determine what we could’ve done differently so we’re ready for Las Vegas,” he added.
READ MORE – Yuki Tsunoda hails RB turnaround as he bags career-high F1 start in Brazil
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