Laurent Mekies, Red Bull’s newly appointed team principal, apologized to Yuki Tsunoda after a late pit call during the Belgian Grand Prix derailed the Japanese driver’s shot at points.
Tsunoda, who shone in qualifying with his best-ever result for Red Bull, finished a frustrating 13th at Spa-Francorchamps, after his team’s strategic misstep left him stranded outside the top 10.
Tsunoda held his own in seventh place during his opening stint on the intermediate tyre, buoyed by a decision on Saturday to equip his car with an upgraded floor after the sprint race.
However, a delayed pit stop call on lap 13 cost him dearly, forcing him to trail Alpine’s Pierre Gasly for nearly 30 laps in a futile battle for 11th. The error also saw Tsunoda lose positions to Ollie Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg in the final two laps of the race.
“For Yuki, it was our mistake,” Mekies told the media. “We wanted to pit him on the same lap as Max, and everything was ready, the crew was out, everything was ready to get both cars, and we simply called him too late.
“So it’s on us, unfortunately, and one lap made a big difference today, so he lost, I think, three or four positions, which ultimately stopped his fight for the points.”
Tsunoda’s Pace Goes Unrewarded
Mekies praised Tsunoda’s stellar weekend, noting his strong qualifying despite challenging conditions and the team’s late upgrade decision.
“He did a very strong qualifying yesterday,” Mekies told F1 TV. “We upgraded the car just before qualifying, but it’s so difficult to adapt with new conditions in a qualifying session like that.
“He did a very, very strong job, so I’m very happy for him.”
Despite the pace to contend for points, the pit blunder left Tsunoda empty-handed. But Mekies remained optimistic, vowing to carry the team’s progress into next weekebd’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen Stuck in Leclerc’s Wake
As for Max Verstappen, Mekies suggested that the Dutchman’s race was a tale of near misses. The reigning world champion finished fourth, unable to overtake Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc despite his superior pace on Pirelli’s intermediates.
“I think Max has probably had enough of Charles [Leclerc’s] gearbox tonight,” Mekies said. “I think he spent every single lap in Charles’ gearbox.
“It’s part of the game, we didn’t get much wet running, and obviously we did make quite aggressive choices with the car to try to be in a good place for the heavy rain that came earlier today.
“Then afterwards on the dry, I think Max tried everything to get around Charles, but I don’t think there has been very much overtaking in the dry this afternoon. So it was really tough, especially with the car in that configuration.”
With Tsunoda's frustration clear and Verstappen narrowly missing the podium, Mekies will be hoping for a cleaner outing in Budapest as Red Bull looks to regroup and maximize both drivers’ potential.
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