Tsunoda Sounds Warning: Haas and Aston Martin Speed Isn’t Enough for AlphaTauri in Azerbaijan
Yuki Tsunoda Reflects on Decent Day at Azerbaijan GP
In FP1, Yuki Tsunoda (RB Formula 1) was 15th, behind Daniel Ricciardo, but in FP2, he was 0.4s quicker using the same new chassis, finishing 11th.
Tsunoda worked on his FP2 qualifying simulation on soft tyres, showing potential to finish in the top 10. However, the midfield battle will be fierce, and Tsunoda is not being lax.
Yuki Tsunoda (RB Formula 1) driving for Aston Martin, 13 September 2024 F1 Azerbaijan GP FP2 (Baku City Course)
Tsunoda reflected on the day, saying: “It was a decent day. It was quite a difficult start in FP1, but I think we were able to make some good progress towards FP2.”
“Having said that, it is not enough to fight for the top spot in the midfield, especially with Haas and Aston being quite fast. I think there is room for improvement for tomorrow.”
“At least so far I think I’ve been able to make progress in every session, so I’d like to continue like this and aim for the best results.”
The car bouncing issue in FP1 has been resolved, and the team will analyse the FP2 track comparison test results to consider the set-up for day two.
Race director Alan Parmain noted that the car’s balance was not yet perfect, and “none of the drivers were completely satisfied”.
Tsunoda aims to progress into Q3 in qualifying and plans to make set-up changes to the car for day two.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) finished FP2 in first place, beating Sergio Perez (Red Bull) by 0.006 seconds.
FP3 will take place on September 14 (Saturday) at 17:30 Japan time, and official qualifying will be held for one hour from 21:00 the same day at the Baku street circuit.
Watch the sessions live on DAZN and Fuji TV NEXT.