Marko unimpressed at Imola with 'cocky' Tsunoda

Yuki Tsunoda's stock was boosted after his F1 debut in Bahrain last month, but Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko was less impressed by the AlphaTauri rookie's troubled weekend at Imola.

Tsunoda's issues started in qualifying when he heavily clouted the barrier in Q1, a mistake that likely deprived the Japanese charger of a top-ten spot on the grid considering the fifth-place slot secured on Saturday by teammate Pierre Gasly.

Starting last, the 20-year-old made good headway in the opening stages of the Emilia Romagna GP but fell afoul to the tricky conditions, spinning off after the race's restart while running in the points and crossing the checkered P13.

Reviewing the performance of Red Bull's protégé in Italy, Marko reckoned an excess of confidence had led to Tsunoda's "stupid mistake" in Q1.

"He was simply cocky," Marko told Speedweek. "Yuki had a fast car and it would definitely have been good enough for the Q3.

"Yuki had very strong sector times in the very first lap. But in the very first lap of qualifying there's no point having an amazing lap.

"It was just a stupid mistake and you can't make it any smaller than it already is. I spoke to Yuki after the race, he was totally apologetic."

• Read also: F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2021 Emilia Romagna GP

Indeed, the AlphaTauri driver held himself accountable for his messy weekend.

"Doing mistakes two days in a row. For me? Not acceptable. Really not acceptable," he said. "I just learn from it this time, but just improve next time."

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