Yuki Tsunoda arrives in Monte Carlo after a bittersweet weekend in Imola. At the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit, the Red Bull driver was involved in an incident that seemingly compromised his Sunday. However, in the race he performed well enough to take advantage of the RB21 and finish in the Top 10 — not a given, considering the difficulties shown by drivers who previously held his current position.
Speaking on media day before the first two free practice sessions scheduled for tomorrow, the Japanese driver revisited the crash at Villeneuve. According to him, it was caused by overexcitement after finding a good setup — one similar to Max Verstappen’s, which helped Max win the race.
“The crash at Imola wouldn’t have happened if I had known the car better. I wouldn’t have done that with the VCARB. I was pushing too hard. I lacked understanding of how the car behaves with each setup. The setup I tested was completely new, and the Red Bull changes much more than I expected.”
“At Imola, I must say, between Free Practice 2 and Free Practice 3, I abandoned my own path and went in the direction Max chose. I liked it. And maybe that’s also why I overdid it.”
Even before debuting as a Red Bull driver, Yuki Tsunoda had said he wasn’t concerned about adapting to the RB21 after driving for several years with AlphaTauri-Racing Bulls. After a few races, Yuki has partially revised his statement.
“The process of understanding the RB21 is slightly longer than I expected. But at the same time, the real feeling is that I didn’t know what I was getting into. The situation could be worse than it is. I got into a car I didn’t know, and some aspects went better than expected, others worse. Regarding understanding the car and setup, the issue is that the RB21 reacts very differently — a huge difference compared to any setup we’re trying. Much more so than the VCARB. It’s not easy to find the right operating window for the Red Bull at each track.”
As for the Monaco weekend, Yuki Tsunoda is not expected to run with the full update package developed by Red Bull. Already in Imola, his car was different from Max Verstappen’s, and the situation will remain the same in the streets of the Principality.
“In terms of updates, I didn’t use the full new package in Imola. Mine wasn’t the same as Max’s. I don’t know the parts allocation for this weekend, but I don’t think I’ll have the complete package here either. I think it will take some time before I have a car with the same specifications as his.”
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