Yuki Tsunoda has defended the set-up changes that Red Bull made that Max Verstappen used during a double Q1 exit in the Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The race weekend at Interlagos has gone from bad to worse for the Milton Keynes-based squad after suffering its first double Q1 elimination in two decades.
Verstappen, who would have hoped to make amends after a disappointing Sprint Race, could only manage the 16th quickest time, with Tsunoda down in 19th.
The Dutchman had struggled with the RB21’s balance ever since Friday but was able to salvage a fourth-placed result during the shortened race on Saturday.
Tsunoda revealed the data collected from the Sprint prompted the team to make some alterations to the set-up on Verstappen’s car in a bid to improve matters.
But while Tsunoda felt more connected to the car, his team-mate Verstappen found himself completely lost as he sustained his first Q1 elimination on pure pace.
However, Tsunoda insisted that those changes were not to blame for the Dutchman’s Q1 exit, which has all but extinguished his hopes of a fifth consecutive title.
Instead, he argued that it was the tricky tyre preparation parameters at the recently resurfaced Interlagos circuit that has been the bane for Red Bull this weekend.
“Yeah, some of things we changed for the Sprint Race, gave us a good idea how to make the car better, we thought,” Tsunoda told media including Motorsport Week.
“I think a couple of things that he also took was from the setup that I was using. Now, I don’t want to blame my setup, because I think the setup was okay,” he insisted.
“Just the main thing is really being able to make the tyre work.
“I think from our side of the garage, we were able to make some good amount of steps in terms of the parts we changed after the sprint race, and I feel clearly better in the car.
“But, an issue came out, which seems like it’s quite big. It’s a shame that we were not able to maximise that opportunity.”
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