Yuki Tsunoda finished last at the British GP after facing wet weather conditions with low downforce and receiving a 10-second penalty. In conditions that even his four-time world champion teammate struggled in, the Japanese also had a miserable time coping with them on Sunday.
Clash with Ollie Bearman
Tsunoda received a 10-second time penalty at the F1 British GP for colliding with Haas’ Ollie Bearman. The incident happened on lap 22 into turn six just after the safety car restart.
The Red Bulls’ lack of grip was demonstrated by Max Verstappen spinning and losing places directly after the restart. Tsunoda was unable to keep the nose of his RB21 clean as Bearman attempted to pass around the outside. The Red Bull driver’s front right wheel collided with Bearman’s rear left, which dropped the Haas driver two places, down to last position.
In a post-race print media interview, Tsunoda commented on the fairness of his penalty.
“I guess yeah, I mean, I deserve the penalty.
“10 seconds, obviously last year it was probably 5 seconds. So yeah, apparently they didn’t really make any exception, but it is what it is.”
Success in wet conditions recently
Tsunoda has done well in two of the more treacherous rain races in recent memory. The 2024 Brazilian GP and the 2025 Australian GP saw Tsunoda finish P7 and P12, respectively.
The wet conditions this past weekend should have made the low-downforce Red Bull set up borderline impossible to drive. However, Tsunoda did not have many complaints about the car other than its lack of pace in the race.
“In the long run, you know, like intermediate, I have good confidence with that condition. Last year, multiple [times], we had a strong, strong weekend.”
The Red Bull car has had its fair share of gremlins on both sides of the garage this year, however.
“Yeah, I mean, initially pace is okay always, but the thing is somehow just taking it crazy. Always coming, something going on, same as dry conditions as well.”
Coming to terms with the car and future upgrades
The second seat at Red Bull is a tough place to be in F1. Being directly compared to one of the greatest drivers of our time is a huge weight on Tsunoda’s shoulders, especially when his RB21 is in a completely different state compared to Verstappen’s.
Tsunoda commented on the upcoming upgrades he will be receiving at the Belgian GP and how different his car is from his teammates in his print media interview.
“At least I’m going to have upgrades next weekend. I think I’m currently two steps behind in terms of package compared to Max.”
The Japanese driver is hoping to close some of the gap to his teammate with these upgrades. Since the Belgian GP is a sprint weekend, he will have only one free practice to gain experience with these upgrades before heading straight into qualifying and race circumstances.
“So that’s it. That will for sure help for the next race. At the same time, it’s going to be a sprint weekend. So it’s the only time I can adjust with that, you know, more with my free practice. But I’ll do my best.
“With the two steps, you know, in terms of the overall package, I think, to be honest, the difference between me and Max in Q2, which was four tenths, it stacks up quite well. So at least short run, I’m going in the right direction. I’m happy with it. I think that’s something to look at.”
