Christian Horner delivered a strong defence of Yuki Tsunoda following the Japanese driver’s dramatic weekend at the F1 Imola GP, which saw him crash heavily in Qualifying before mounting an impressive recovery drive to claim points from the pit lane.
Horner supporting Tsunoda through adversity
The Red Bull team principal was quick to praise Tsunoda’s resilience after what could have been a confidence-shattering setback. The Japanese driver’s qualifying crash relegated him to a pit lane start, but Horner was impressed by his response on race day.
“It was a big accident, and the most important thing with that was that he jumped out of it OK, and then I thought actually his race today, he was very committed, he raced hard and well,” Horner explained in his print media session. “To come from the pit lane into the points when the grid is so tight, the strategy worked out well for him as well, and he drove a good race.”
Grateful to see Yuki Tsunoda walk away from this enormous shunt in Q1#F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/hsviPlI66P
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 17, 2025
The team principal acknowledged that whilst the crash was disappointing, Tsunoda’s qualifying pace shouldn’t be overlooked entirely. “It’s just a shame that if he’d qualified in Q3, where he should have done yesterday, he would have been even further up, but hopefully that will come in the coming races.”
Learning from setbacks
When asked about comparisons to Kimi Antonelli’s crash at Monza last year and whether similar psychological impacts might affect Tsunoda, Horner remained measured in his assessment whilst emphasising the importance of bouncing back from such incidents.
“I don’t know, I think that was a nasty-looking accident yesterday, and it’s always important to bounce back,” Horner said. “And I thought he did that very well today, he raced hard but fairly, he was under a lot of pressure from Fernando [ Alonso] on better tyres at the end of the race, he didn’t make any mistakes, he passed well.”
A solid race day performance
During the Imola Grand Prix, Tsunoda demonstrated the fighting spirit that Horner was keen to highlight. Starting from the pit lane after his qualifying crash, the Japanese driver carved his way through the field to finish in the points. His performance included a notable battle with Fernando Alonso, where Tsunoda ultimately prevailed despite the Spaniard being on fresher tyres.
Tsunoda’s recovery was also noteworthy, with the team executing a plan that maximised his potential from such a compromised starting position. His ability to capitalise on the various safety car periods and strategic windows throughout the race showcased both his evolving racecraft.
Hope for a better race in Monaco
With Formula 1’s next destination being the demanding streets of Monaco, Horner expressed confidence that Tsunoda’s Imola recovery drive would serve him well for one of the calendar’s most psychologically challenging races.
“So I think he’ll take a lot of confidence out of that going into one of the most confident required races in Monaco next week,” Horner concluded.
For Red Bull, having both drivers scoring points despite the qualifying setback represents a successful damage limitation exercise. Whilst Max Verstappen secured another commanding victory at the front, Tsunoda’s recovery drive ensured the team maximised their points haul from a weekend that could have been far more damaging.
