Yuki Tsunoda drew the ire of Helmut Marko following his crash in Saturday's qualifying session in Mexico City, with the Red Bull motorsport advisor labeling the RB driver as “still too unstable”.
Tsunoda enjoyed a strong start to his Mexican weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, clocking in third in both of Friday's practice sessions and seventh in FP3.
In Q2, the Japanese charger appeared on course for a safe passage into Q3 when a mistake and a spin at Turn 12 dashed his chances of reaching the final shootout.
But the mishap also triggered an angry reaction from Marko who didn't hold back his dissatisfaction with Tsunoda's blunder.
“He is still too unstable,” a biting Marko told Sky Sports Germany. “Yuki also had a spin in Austin and now this crash in qualifying.
“We thought he was stabilized, but apparently he's not. Now, when the pressure comes off [Liam] Lawson, it's even more noticeable.”
Beyond the clumsy error, Tsunoda's off-track excursion also damaged his VCARB 01 and its upgraded elements.
“He has a new floor, just like Lawson and I don't know if they have any spare parts,” Marko said. “If you had to rebuild, it would be a relegation to the back row. So it was a totally unnecessary crash.”
©RB
Speaking to the media after the session, Tsunoda held himself accountable for the mistake but struggled to understand why it had happened.
“I had a front lock-up initially and lost a lot of control,” he explained. “So having a front lock-up was already game over and there was no way I could make the corner.
“So I got surprised about that, but nevertheless, it's a shame not to be able to maximize this opportunity.”
Despite the costly setback, Tsunoda remains hopeful of making a recovery during Sunday's race.
Acknowledging the challenges posed by overtaking at the Mexico City circuit, he knows that strategy will be key if he is to break into the points.
“Strategy here won't be easy, especially in traffic and car temperature but I do as much as I can,” he admitted.
“I think the car pace is still there so hopefully I can maximize that with clean air. In the previous race my team-mate went from last to the points so anything could happen.”
As Tsunoda continues to battle for a potential seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, his performance in Mexico will undoubtedly be closely scrutinized. The pressure is on to deliver a strong result and silence the critics.
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