Lost Battles
Mathematically in contention for 6th place in the Constructors’ Championship heading into the final GP of the season in Abu Dhabi, the 2024 campaign ended negatively for Racing Bulls, with both drivers finishing outside the points. As a result, the Faenza-based team failed to meet its objective, finishing behind Haas in eighth place.
Nearly Stalled at the Start
The race started uphill, especially for Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver immediately encountered issues at the start, dropping to last place when the anti-stall system activated. This incident forced the 24-year-old into a recovery drive, which ended in 12th place: “Unfortunately, my race was almost over after the start,” he admitted. “I’m not exactly sure what happened, but honestly, I felt like the clutch was stuck, and it happened again later during the pit stop when I struggled to stop properly. We’ll review everything with the engineers to better understand what happened at the start. After that, I did my best and managed to recover some positions, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get into the points. Looking back at this year, we really gave everything as a team, and I’m happy with what I’ve done throughout the season, even though it’s a shame to finish the last race without a good result, which would have been a nice thank-you for everyone in the team.”
An Unlucky Race
Liam Lawson’s race, too, wasn’t without its problems. The New Zealander, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo mid-season, had to end the year’s final GP prematurely. Despite delivering a strong performance, Lawson was let down by a pit stop error, with the left front tire not properly fitted. Forced to continue at low speed, he then had to serve a 10-second Stop & Go penalty before ultimately retiring due to a technical fault: “It was a tough way to end the season, which is a shame because we started very well,” he said. “It was probably one of the best races I’ve done, even though we were a couple of laps down. The pace was really strong, we were fast, but we had a problem in the pits that put us out of the race, and that’s a pity because we could have had a chance to score some points. After that, I tried to continue as if it were a normal race, just to show what I could do. To everyone who supports the team and me, a huge thank-you. I really enjoyed the six races I’ve had so far with the car. Obviously, I hope to have a future in Formula 1. I gave it my all and can’t wait to come back next year.”
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