Tsunoda Struggles in Austrian GP Qualifying, Starts from P18

Yuki Tsunoda faces a challenging day in Austrian GP qualifying — the Japanese driver only manages to secure 18th position for tomorrow’s race at Red Bull Ring.

Inconsistent performance between first and second runs became the main issue for Tsunoda. The notoriously difficult Red Bull RB21 even caused his teammate Max Verstappen to qualify only seventh.

“First push felt good, but the second push felt completely different. The car balance changed totally and that caught me by surprise,” Tsunoda explained after his Q1 exit.

After promotion from Racing Bulls to the main Red Bull team at the start of this season, Tsunoda still struggles to adapt to the car’s characteristics with its very narrow operating window.

Strategy options for the race are also limited due to remaining tire allocation. Setup changes remain possible, but would require Tsunoda to start from the pit lane.

“I’m tired of always starting from P18 or P19. However for tomorrow’s race, our pace is actually better than before. I will try my best to score points,” added the Japanese driver.