Yuki Tsunoda’s home Grand Prix qualifying could not have gone better with three Q3 appearances in a row now for the Japanese driver.
With exceptional qualifying performances from Tsunoda who made Q3 appearances in Saudi Arabia and Australia, the 23-year-old entered the Japanese Grand Prix with high expectations. Despite the pressure on his shoulders, he has exceeded expectations once again by securing three consecutive Q3 appearances in a row.
“I felt a slightly more pressure compared to the past three years and at the same time I heard more crowds cheering and supporting when I went through Q3. So kind of a mixed feeling but super enjoyed in front of the Japanese fans in Suzuka.
“Happy that I am able to go through Q3 and ended up P10.”
Since Tsunoda’s debut in F1, he has yet to score points at his home race but with the way RB F1 has been performing in the recent events, tomorrow might be a great chance for the Japanese driver to score points on home ground and extend his lead as the leading midfield driver in the standings.
“The last job is to score points tomorrow which is haven’t achieved yet so that will be my target.”
In Q2 Tsunoda’s lap time was a 1.29.417 which was the fastest within the midfield teams. He managed to push the car even more out to its maximum and improved his lap time by a marginal amount in Q3 to a 1.29.413. It suggests nothing more was left in his package on the day.
Despite being the only midfielder to get into Q3, Tsunoda was not satisfied with everything, expressing he had a hard time with the balance of the car especially in the slow speed corners.
“Wasn’t as easy as a qualifying that I expected, struggled a little bit with the balance, particularly in slow speed corners. I didn’t know why and what’s happened there but just really struggling.”
With the top 5 teams being significantly faster, the battle in the midfield for even a single point will make a huge difference in the standings. Tsunoda has scored 6 points this season thanks to his P7 in Melbourne, putting RB F1 in P6 in the Constructors’ Championship.
With both cars in a position to fight for points, it will be extremely important for the team to execute well tomorrow.
“Targeting for sure P10. I think there are good chances to score points, and also Daniel he is P11 so we can help each other to score points, even one point will be very crucial for the season especially like in this tight midfield.
“And also the top 5 right now is kind of secured so this one point will be a big thing in the second half of the season or even in the future.”
With Tsunoda’s extremely impressive season to date, the Japanese driver has expressed that he is feeling more confident in the car compared to his previous Formula One seasons. It also helps him to bring better results back to the team throughout the weekend.
“I am able to be consistently in the top 10 from free practice and I think that is able to give slightly more confidence to the team, and that I think gives us a better kind of teamwork in the end. So just to keep doing what I am doing and see how it goes in the future.”
