Tsunoda rues ‘very unnecessary’ error that led to massive Q1 crash

Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda was left visibly angry with himself after heavily crashing out of qualifying at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, calling his incident “very unnecessary” and admitting he was “really stupid” to push so hard without fully understanding recent changes made to his Red Bull car.

The Japanese driver’s session ended abruptly at the Variante Villeneuve section of the Imola circuit after he clipped the kerb too aggressively and lost control of his RB21.

The car flipped dramatically as it slammed into the barriers before landing back on its wheels, with the spectacular wreck, triggering a red flag and eliminating Tsunoda from Q1.

Fortunately unscathed, Tsunoda, who has impressed in his debut season with the senior Red Bull squad, will now start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid.

Self-Criticism and Regret After the Crash

Speaking to the media after being cleared by medical staff, Tsunoda admitted he had no one to blame but himself for the accident.

“Yeah, I’m just really stupid… pushing like that,” he told reporters. “I mean, this is very hard and [we] made a lot of changes to the car.

“So, pushing that hard without understanding enough about the car and just… yeah.

“[It was] just very unnecessary, pushing that hard in the early stages.”

The crash marks a significant low in what has otherwise been a steady start to the season for the 25-year-old, who has scored points in three of the opening four races since being promoted from Red Bull’s junior squad.

The Imola incident, however, was an outlier, as Tsunoda has previously steered clear of trouble and delivered consistent results.

Apologies to the Team as Recovery Mission Begins

Tsunoda’s first emotions upon exiting the car were a mix of embarrassment and regret.

“Ashamed, disappointed, and frustrated,” he said when asked how he felt immediately after the incident.

The crash inflicted major damage to the RB21, leaving Red Bull’s mechanics with a significant rebuild job overnight to ensure the car is ready for Sunday’s 63-lap Grand Prix, a race the Japanese charger might start from the pitlane.

“I haven’t talked with them yet, but the only thing I can do is apologise to them,” he said.

“Obviously, [the car] has big damage, so the mechanics have to do a lot of work. And hopefully the car will be ready tomorrow – but it’s very unnecessary for them.”

Tsunoda has a solid history at Imola, having scored points in his last two appearances with the junior team, but starting from the back of the grid, he faces an uphill battle to continue that streak.

Despite that, his candid self-assessment will no doubt be noted as the team looks for him to rebound during Sunday’s race.

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