Key Highlights
- Red Bull Racing has apologized for a “quite big mistake” that led to Yuki Tsunoda’s Q1 exit at the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
- The team’s failure to adjust Tsunoda’s tyre pressures was blamed by Team Principal Laurent Mekies, who stated these errors should not happen.
- Tsunoda expressed confusion over his struggles with grip levels, feeling comfortable on wet tyres but experiencing issues in the wet conditions at Las Vegas.
- Max Verstappen shared similar feelings regarding the slippery track conditions and the challenges of adapting to the low-grip surface.
The Slippery Slope: Red Bull’s Tyre Pressure Mishap
F1 fans were left reeling when Yuki Tsunoda suffered a costly Q1 exit at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Japanese driver, who had been in good form throughout the weekend, found himself outside the top 10 on qualifying day. Red Bull Racing has since taken full responsibility for this misstep.
“We made quite big mistakes with his tyre pressures,” said Team Principal Laurent Mekies. “These things obviously should not happen. Apologies to Yuki, he was in a good rhythm all weekend and it’s really painful to take this chance away from him.”
What Went Wrong?
The issue stemmed from Red Bull’s failure to properly adjust Tsunoda’s tyre pressures for the low-grip surface on that cold night at Las Vegas. According to Tsunoda, grip levels were among the worst he had experienced since joining Formula 1 in 2021. He added that visibility was “terrible,” making it even more challenging to navigate the tricky street circuit.
“We didn’t expect to use the extreme tyres,” explained Tsunoda. “I’m just three seconds off compared to any other drivers. Clearly I was missing something, because I was literally driving on ice, so I don’t know what’s happened.”
A Slippery Track: Verstappen’s Struggles Too
Max Verstappen, Tsunoda’s team-mate and world champion, echoed similar sentiments regarding the track conditions. “It was really, really slippery out there,” said the four-time world champion. “It’s already slippery in the dry but in the wet – yeah, it’s not fun, I can tell you that.” Verstappen felt more comfortable on the wet tyre than when it came to Q3 with intermediates, describing the surface as feeling like ice.
“I do feel that maybe we were a little bit more competitive on the extreme tyre, but the track is improving, so you have to move on to the inter and I struggled a lot just to have any kind of grip,” he added.
Back Row Start for Tsunoda
The Red Bull Formula 1 team has apologized for these “quite big mistakes.” As a result, Tsunoda will start the race in 19th position, joining Lewis Hamilton on the back row. This is a stark contrast to Verstappen’s second-place finish, which reflects the severity of the tyre pressure errors.
Team Principal Mekies acknowledged that the error was their responsibility and not Tsunoda’s fault: “We should have done better in terms of understanding the track conditions and adjusting the tyre pressures accordingly. We’ll learn from this experience for future races.”
“These things obviously should not happen.” – Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
The incident highlights the critical importance of precise tyre pressure adjustments in F1, especially when navigating challenging and low-grip conditions. As teams continue to adapt to the unique demands of Las Vegas, this episode serves as a reminder of the potential pitfalls that can arise from misjudging track conditions.
