AUSTIN, Texas — All Yuki Tsunoda could do after F1 Sprint qualifying at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix was vent his frustrations.
Tsunoda was eliminated in the first segment of qualifying on Friday afternoon here at the Circuit of the Americas, after failing to set a second time during SQ1. The Red Bull driver was caught up in traffic on pit lane just before the session ended, and could not get back to the start/finish line prior to the clock hitting zero.
He was forced to rely on his initial lap time, which was only good enough for P18.
“The timing of the garage exit was, I think, not even close,” Tsunoda told the official Formula 1 channel after F1 Sprint qualifying. “I don’t know what’s happened there, to be honest. Something went wrong and we didn’t have any opportunity to do a lap time, so [it’s a] shame.”
Tsunoda described his elimination as “shocking,” and also expressed some frustration with Liam Lawson, who he replaced at Red Bull. Tsunoda left pit lane right behind Lawson, who maintained his position in front of Tsunoda as is his right.
But it did not ease Tsunoda’s pain.
“It’s very frustrating because […] it’s not in my control,” he said.
“It’s not a thing I can control, to be honest. We can control it, but it was more up to them rather than myself, managing the timing. So it’s pretty shocking.
“It’s just more like his usual,” said Tsunoda of Lawson. “There’s nothing I expect more than that, to be honest, from him.”
The timing was such that by the moment Tsunoda came out of Turn 20 and reached the straight leading to the start/finish line, the clock had already hit zero, and red lights were illuminated.
The Red Bull driver will be at the back of the field when the lights go out on Saturday for the F1 Sprint race, but he’ll have a chance to make up for it in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix later in the day tomorrow.
