There is a trend worrying Red Bull, and it’s not just the gap to McLaren. In the last three qualifying sessions, Yuki Tsunoda hasn’t reached Q3 even once, getting knocked out in Q1 on two occasions.
If at Imola the Japanese driver had blamed the incident on overconfidence and underestimating the unpredictability of the RB21, the elimination in Spain is harder to justify, even for Yuki Tsunoda himself.
“The performance is disappointing. On Friday he was quite close to Max, and now in qualifying nothing worked. Finishing last, even if the car isn’t exactly identical, is something we need to look into internally,” said Helmut Marko to Sky after qualifying.
It’s a disappointing performance that even the Japanese driver can’t fully explain, despite worrying signs already emerging on Friday. From the first practice sessions, Yuki Tsunoda complained of a clear lack of grip, so it’s no surprise that the gap gradually and steadily increased rather than coming from one specific section.
“It’s really difficult, honestly. I didn’t make a huge mistake, but I’m still way behind,” he said after FP2, adding that he had no idea why. The difficulties reappeared on Saturday. In the final practice session there seemed to be a small step forward in rear-end control, but it wasn’t enough to avoid elimination in Q1, with track temperatures nearing 50°C.
Yuki Tsunoda was the slowest in Q1 in Barcelona, about half a second behind his teammate, highlighting two key points: not only could the gap have been even larger since Verstappen only did one push lap without pushing the limit, but the field is so tight that a few tenths can cost many positions.
“From the very first flying lap in FP1 I said over the radio that something wasn’t right. The level wasn’t aligned with my expectations or with what I felt from the car in terms of grip. Obviously, we tried to fix the issue, but when you’re limited by overall grip, every setup change is just a patch. You can’t fix the root of the problem.”
The issue, in fact, isn’t limited to specific corners, but concerns a general lack of grip. This makes it hard to extract tyre potential, especially on a Red Bull that is fast but demanding within its operational window. Unsurprisingly, even on Saturday the gap to Max Verstappen increased linearly throughout the lap.
Data shows that the gap widens particularly in high-speed corners, where confidence and grip are essential. At Turn 9, for example, Yuki Tsunoda lifted off the throttle earlier than Verstappen. This matters, because time lost there also impacts the straight leading to Turn 10. At Turn 14, he lifted up to 53% and for longer, while Max only partially lifted to 88%, resulting in about a 5 km/h difference at the finish line.
His car has a slightly different spec than Max Verstappen’s, still lacking the new floor due to the Imola crash, which is expected to offer more downforce and especially a broader operating window, as Red Bull suggested. However, Yuki Tsunoda doesn’t believe it’s just a matter of setup, having tried numerous configurations without finding a solution.
“I don’t think it’s a setup problem. We’ve tried practically every possible configuration. There are obviously personal preferences, but I’m convinced the car’s balance is good. The balance itself isn’t bad, and the confidence was there. The qualifying lap, especially the last one, wasn’t bad at all. But the results and pace don’t match the feelings I had.”
“Until Monaco I was making good progress, and in the last two sessions I was matching or slightly faster than Max. Then, suddenly, everything collapsed. Whatever I do, even in long runs, nothing happens. And this car eats tyres, with insane degradation. Something’s not right.”
Barcelona has always been a very particular circuit, so much so that the gap at the top has historically either been very narrow or very wide, confirming that when grip is missing or general issues arise, the deficit can grow quickly—especially against a driver like Verstappen.
Yuki Tsunoda, however, tried to find some positives, starting with communication with the team: “Among the positives, I’d say the way I built the weekend and communication with the team were among the best,” he said, noting that in previous weekends there was still no stable connection with the pit wall.
Due to his grid position, Red Bull decided to switch to a different rear wing spec and make some setup changes in hopes of gathering useful data, though this will force him to start from the pit lane. At this point, it’s not unrealistic to think that Yuki Tsunoda will also be used as a tyre reference for Max Verstappen.
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