Tsunoda 'learned a lot of lessons' from botched Imola weekend

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AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda says he took away "a lot of lessons" from his error-ridden Emilia Romagna GP weekend at Imola.

The 20-year-old Japanese charger had acquitted himself well on his F1 debut in Bahrain where he scored a top-ten finish.

But Tsunoda's second outing was anything but a smooth affair, with a big crash at the start of qualifying followed by a messy race on Sunday during which he was caught out by the tricky conditions while running in the points.

"I learned a lot of lessons in Imola," stated the AlphaTauri driver ahead of this week's Portuguese GP. "It was quite the opposite to Bahrain which had gone well.

"I had very high expectations for Imola and so had the team. Everything had gone smoothly in free practice but then I made a huge mistake in Qualifying, which meant I had a very tough race.

"I had not had a bad crash for two years, so this was a lesson which I can learn from going into the next races.

"The race was also the first time I had driven a Formula 1 car in the wet and using the intermediate tyres was really tricky, so I had to build up my speed gradually.

"But we have a car that has been competitive at the first two tracks, capable of running in the top six."

Read also: Tsunoda's Imola crash ‘not a trend of him pushing too hard’

Tsunoda will continue his F1 apprenticeship this week at a venue that he has yet to discover. At least for real as he's been grinding around Portimão's scenic circuit in the virtual world.

"The track in Portugal is new to me," he said. "I don’t know what to expect, although I have done a couple of sessions driving Portimao on the simulator and I’ve watched last year’s Grand Prix.

"It is a beautiful circuit with interesting corners like Turn 1 and the off-camber Turn 13 which looks quite unique, as well as so many up and down sections and blind corners.

"I think it could be tricky for track limits, but I will build up my pace gradually. It will be a completely different situation to the previous two rounds, as I had already driven a lot in Bahrain and Imola before the race weekend.

"During free practice I hope to complete a significant number of laps to adapt to the track as soon as possible and hopefully be well prepared for Qualifying."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.