Tsunoda “frustrated” after “miscommunication” cost him points in F1 Belgian GP

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda was left frustrated after a “miscommunication” over his pitstop resulted in him missing out on scoring points in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Tsunoda had enjoyed his best qualifying session since replacing Liam Lawson at Red Bull for the Japanese GP, with him lining up seventh for the Spa race.

However, the Japanese driver was unable to profit from that in the race when he made a change from intermediate to slick tyres a lap later than the majority of the field. With the timing of this pitstop being crucial, the delay consigned him to a 13th-place finish. 

“Very frustrating, it already started from a miscommunication, or I don’t know what to say more than that, to swap the tyres,” said Tsunoda when asked about the timing of his pitstop.

“They called me at a late moment, just after the pit entry. For one lap, this kind of long track is very decisive, and unfortunately, I lost that opportunity.

“I lost four positions, five positions, whatever, and I was stuck behind Pierre [Gasly]. I tried my best to overtake him, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.”

To compound his problems, after the pitstop, the 25-year-old struggled with a lack of straightline speed, thwarting his attempts to return to the point-scoring positions.

“Unfortunately, there was no speed to overtake – I tried my best throughout the lap, but again the tyres were gone,” Tsunoda added.

While team-mate Max Verstappen finished the Spa race fourth, Tsunoda languishes down in 17th in the drivers’ standings and has not scored a point since the Emilia Romagna GP in May. 

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko acknowledged the pitstop slip up but said Tsunoda’s final finishing position wasn’t good enough.

“Yes, there was a miscommunication and then his speed was also not good,” said Marko.

“The pitstop wasn’t optimal — that’s where he lost the positions. We’ll need to clarify the exact reason by comparing notes with the engineers. Of course, going from P7 to P13 isn’t what we were hoping for.”