Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that an engine issue with his RB21 led to a point where the Safety Car “was faster than my car” in the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
The Japanese driver had struggled to maximise his starting slot during qualifying on Saturday at Zandvoort.
But the inherent pace he felt in the RB21 – after having been handed a similar spec car to that of Max Verstappen – meant he came into the 72-lap race with confidence of making moves into the points from 12th on the grid.
That said, while the likes of Alex Albon, who started further back from Tsunoda, finished in fifth, the 25-year-old was consigned to ninth at the chequered flag.
“I mean, I’m not sure what I can do better than that,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“But I feel like everything today was against me. The first Safety Car didn’t help at all. And the second Safety Car as well.
“So, I mean, the people I was fighting with, they ended up P5, P6. Even in the last stint, I was about to try and make a position and I had those kind of issues.
“t was not even easy to even score points today. To be honest, normally in P9 you don’t feel special. But I think it’s something that gives me confidence for the future.”
Tsunoda details mid-race RB21 issues
The Grand Prix on Sunday was a chaotic affair with multiple Safety Car periods.
And while Tsunoda was struggling to find a rhythm inside the cockpit, a power unit gremlin compounded his woes.
When asked to expand on the issues he faced with the Red Bull engine, Tsunoda was coy enough not to go into the specifics of the issue but divulged that it led to him lapping slower than the Safety Car at one point in the race.
“Obviously I can’t say specific details,” continued the 25-year-old. “But, yeah, at some point the Safety Car was faster than my car.”
However, despite nursing said issue, Tsunoda commended his pit wall for “minimising” the effects of the loss of power that allowed him to finish in the points.
“So, our team did a fantastic job to minimise damage and obviously went much better,” he expressed.
“But still there was something in the car that lost a lot of performance. And still I was in P11. So, yeah, it was a good execution for me.”
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