Yuki Tsunoda starts behind Liam Lawson in Japan: “Very sad, but anything can happen in the rain”. Yuki Tsunoda comments on Japanese GP qualifying, ending quietly in 14th place.

Yuki Tsunoda disappoints at home
Ahead of his home weekend, Yuki Tsunoda had even spoken of a podium. But Saturday at Suzuka brought him back to reality, as the Japanese driver was eliminated in Q2 and, like his predecessors, fell victim to a Red Bull that only flies when driven by Max Verstappen.

Since fate can be cruel, the new Red Bull driver was also beaten by Liam Lawson, the driver whose seat he took just a few days ago. Is Yuki Tsunoda’s dream already over? Certainly not—it’s necessary to give him time to adapt to the RB21, just as Lawson should have been given (but wasn’t). Moreover, car #22 is hopeful about tomorrow, as on a wet track—where the chances of rain are high—anything can happen.

Yuki Tsunoda’s words
This is how Yuki Tsunoda explained his 14th-place grid position: “I think the warm-up lap for my final attempt in Q2 didn’t go as I wanted, but I’m still learning. I thought it was fine, but I paid for it dearly. It’s a shame I wasn’t able to extract the performance from the car. I think the pace was good from Q1, but then everything just got worse, so there’s some frustration.”

“I’m very sad because I wasn’t able to put everything together in the lap, but at least now the confidence in the car is good. I’ll do my best tomorrow, but on days like this, anything can happen,” he continued. “A bit of rain might help us climb back up, but regardless of the conditions, I’ll stay focused.” – the Red Bull driver concluded ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.