Yuki Tsunoda has contended that “something is not right” with his Red Bull car after he qualified in last place for the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The Japanese driver has been able to get closer to team-mate Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes-based squad since replacing Liam Lawson from Japan onwards.
However, Tsunoda’s results have regressed in the European triple-header, a heavy crash in qualifying at Imola setting the tone.
Despite scoring a point in a solid recovery drive in that race, it has been the only one, having left Monaco empty-handed as he endured a premature qualifying exit.
And Saturday’s latest performance over one lap marked a new low as he failed to make it out of Q1, propping up last on the grid, whilst Verstappen secured third.
Speaking after his truncated afternoon, Tsunoda was at a loss as to what could be done to rectify the issues he has endured throughout this weekend with the RB21.
“Yeah, I mean, straight away, from FP1, first push, I said on the radio, that’s something I feel is not right,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s just the level, it’s not really matching to my expectation, how I feel in the car, in terms of grip level overall.
“Obviously we tried to sort that issue throughout the week, but especially when you’re limited by overall grip, whenever we change set-ups, it just makes a bit of a plaster feeling.
“It’s not able to cure the core limitation, which I had. It’s a shame.”
When reminded that the gap between his 20th-place time and Verstappen’s third-place time was six tenths of a second, Tsunoda was quick to remind those assembled that he has been able to get closer to the Dutchman, but keeps being placed back at square one.
“Until the previous Grand Prix, especially until Monaco, I was having good progress throughout, and, you know, last two Grands Prix, some sessions I was matching or a bit faster than Max, and suddenly it drops like hell. And whatever I do, it relapses,” he retorted.
“Even like a long run was a good example, just whatever I do, nothing happens, and it feels like this car is eating the tyres like hell, having degradation massively.
“It doesn’t really stack up. I think the core limitation is still there, and I don’t know what it is, and I can’t really have any answer for that.”
Tsunoda: ‘Not much point’ in Red Bull race set-up change
Tsunoda said he was hopeful of trying to at least match his Imola performance in making up half the order to go from last to a points-scoring place, but admitted the likelihood of such an eventuality is low.
“I’ll try my best tomorrow, whatever I can do to be in top 10, I’ll do, but the thing is, I don’t think we’re able to cure the poor limitations since FP2, which was really lap by lap, just tyres degrading,” he said, “so with that said, it will be tough realistically, but hopefully with a couple of setup changes, we’ll make it a little bit better, other than that, let’s see how it goes.”
Despite indicating he is willing to try a change to the set-up of the car, Tsunoda then seemed to contradict his comment, intimating that such a plan might be futile.
“As long as we find a clear limitation, or cause a clear issue that we see in the car, I think we’ll take it,” he said when asked if a pit lane start was an option.
“But even myself, I don’t think there’s so much point to change the set-up, we just need to change the set-up, because we did almost everything, just sliding around.
“We’ll have to discuss, but I can’t see what kind of set-up will make the game change.”
READ MORE – Max Verstappen: Red Bull still chasing Imola-level ‘feeling’ in Spain
