Yuki Tsunoda‘s Red Bull hopes took another hit in Formula 1‘s Singapore Grand Prix, as a disastrous opening lap compromised his strong pace in race conditions.
The Japanese driver, who is battling to prove that he deserves to keep his seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, endured a turbulent weekend at Marina Bay.
Having shown promise on Friday, Tsunoda’s momentum subsided with an 18th-place result in final practice and a qualifying showing that left him 13th on the grid.
Then, despite starting on the Soft compound, Tsunoda lost four places on the first lap, resigning him to a race spent in traffic on a track where overtaking is tough.
“It definitely was the worst start or the first lap ever in my life. I can’t still believe what happened in the first lap,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Every place I tried to go, every corner in the first lap, I was literally covered or blocked by someone.
“I just didn’t have any space to go. I lost so many positions in the first lap. It was definitely the worst start ever.
“I don’t know what I should have done there. I’m sure there’s something I could have done better. That for sure made my life very hard afterwards.”
The positive Tsunoda sees amid latest Red Bull setback
Despite the frustration, Tsunoda, who would take the chequered flag in 12th place, found reason for optimism.
He suggested that both his race pace and consistency have taken a step forward in recent rounds, even if his qualifying struggles continue to undermine his results.
“To be honest, the pace was one of the best I’ve had in my Red Bull career so far,” he explained.
“Until two races ago, I was almost hopeless. The pace I had, whatever I did, I was almost P19, P18. But now I had a really good pace, very competitive towards the top of the field.
“Now I just have to extract the grip on the one lap. I just somehow couldn’t feel much grip.
“I think just putting it all together with a one lap pace and the long run is, I think, the key. If I’m able to do that, I think we’ll come together. That’s my main goal.”
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