Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda looks back at a difficult 2026 F1 Spanish GP at the Madring Circuit, where an early clash with Carlos Sainz and track characteristics halted his progress despite decent pace.
After a subpar qualifying session, Tsunoda headed into the 2026 F1 Spanish GP from P15 on the grid. On the opening lap, Carlos Sainz, who had started from P17 and was looking to make up positions at the start, came into contact with Tsunoda in Turn 1. Both drivers continued, but the Japanese driver dropped behind Albon and Pérez and sustained significant damage from the contact.
Tsunoda on the race-defining 2026 F1 Spanish GP incident on Lap 1
After he finished the 2026 F1 Spanish GP in P14, Tsunoda pointed to the Lap 1 incident with Sainz as the race-defining moment, as he was unable to make up ground due to lack of overtaking opportunities.
“Mainly a bit. Pretty much the race was finished by that. Lost a lot of positions by that, but also I had a big damage from that.
“Honestly, it was very difficult to overtake here, even though I still had a good advantage to the car in front in terms of pace. But just a really pressuring race, honestly.”
Impossible to overtake despite decent pace
After losing positions right after the incident at the start of the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, Tsunoda got stuck behind Sergio Pérez’s Cadillac, unable to overtake despite being faster. It was only when the Cadillac pitted under the VSC that the Racing Bulls driver was able to unleash the pace, which Tsunoda says “wasn’t that bad” given the fact that the car had taken a big hit at the start of the race.
“I mean, suddenly the car got cleared in front, and the pace suddenly recovered a lot. And to be honest, considering that damage I had, the pace wasn’t that bad.
“But yeah, it was super difficult to overtake here.”
Potential changes to the Madring Circuit to improve racing for next year
During the 2026 F1 Spanish GP weekend, several drivers had already predicted that the layout of the Madring Circuit would not provide overtaking opportunities, leading many to believe that qualifying would be key. Predictions turned out to be true, as the inaugural race at the new venue sported the fewest overtakes of the 2026 F1 season.
Following the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, several drivers, including Tsunoda, suggested changes that would improve racing.
“I think Turn 5 is the place where there is something they can do. It’s the only place that almost you can overtake. It’s very narrow the chicane, like you almost give up too much speed to overtake. Something a bit simpler. More like one corner. If they can extend down on the straight line, that would be fantastic.”
