Yuki Tsunoda set the 14th fastest time in Sprint Qualifying in Austria as RB F1 looks to sort out its problems after a difficult Spanish GP. The Japanese driver suffered a scare going off track that cost him dearly in performance.
“Not very happy, but the second run of SQ1 with my spin compromised our SQ2 because I had damage. It was not the ideal way to go to SQ2, so it’s a shame but I take this result and move on” Tsunoda said before explaining his exit, which he separates from his problems with the management in Free Practice.
“I pushed too much, I went over the limit at turn 7, I damaged the floor. I didn’t damage it during the spin but I lost downforce , in any case it is not linked to management.”
Daniel Ricciardo narrowly stalled in SQ1, and did not hide his frustration after this 16th place: “It’s a short lap, it’s always difficult. The first lap was really horrible. We changed a lot of things after Free Practice. It’s difficult to do well in Sprint format, so we were still far from the mark , and we changed what we could change.
“It was better when I came out, but the gaps were really small and we still need to fine-tune the settings. We’re still trying to learn, but when you miss by that little it’s always frustrating.”
“It’s difficult to reach the top 8 during the Sprint, but we will use it to change the car. We have already made correct changes but now we need to balance the car better and we will be able to do it before the real qualifying. I am optimistic.”
