Tsunoda to start Imola GP from pitlane due to huge car damage from quali crash

Yuki Tsunoda will start from the pitlane in F1’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after Red Bull built up a spare chassis following his Imola qualifying accident.

Heading into the fast Villeneuve chicane at the end of the first sector, Tsunoda lost control over his RB21 and made heavy contact with the inside wall, sending his car into a barrel roll.

The Japanese driver climbed out unhurt and was checked by the medical centre, and due to the extent of the damage Red Bull built up a spare chassis.

Tsunoda will also have to use a fresh Honda power unit – his third of the season – as part of a huge list of components that had to be changed under parc ferme. In the case of the battery and control electronics, Tsunoda exceeds his limit for the season already, but that penalty is absorbed in the pitlane start.

“For the re-build of car 22 after the survival cell change, the Red Bull Racing team used several components of different specification,” the FIA’s technical delegate Jo Bauer wrote. “Therefore car number 22 should now be required to start the Race from the pitlane according to Article 40.9 a) of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations.”

Tsunoda was hugely self-critical over his needless Q1 shunt, on a weekend when he received the same floor specification as team-mate Max Verstappen as well as other upgrades.

“I’m just really stupid… pushing like that,” Tsunoda said. “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.”

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