F1 star speaks out after being hit with 60-place grid penalty for Belgian Grand Prix
One star at the Belgian Grand Prix has reacted to a very heavy sanction.
VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda produced a telling reaction when told of his 60-place grid penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix. Tsunoda will start Sunday’s race from the very back of the grid after a host of new parts were fitted to his vehicle.
Spa-Francorchamps is a circuit often chosen by teams to take penalties, with its multiple opportunities to overtake, as Max Verstappen was also handed a 10-place grid penalty after exceeding his quota for engines this season.
Tsunoda, similarly is onto his fifth internal combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-K of the season, as well as his third energy store and set of control electronics
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F1 rules state that those who go over the limit of power unit elements in a single season are hit with a 10-place grid penalty. But due to Tsunoda making such an overhaul, he has been forced to drop a whopping 60 places to the back of the grid.
“Oh, Jesus!” Tsunoda exclaimed when speaking to F1 TV after FP2 when he was informed of his punishment, though the driver likely would have expected such a crackdown.
Tsunoda, Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton all will be pleading for rain to fall on Belgium this weekend in the hope of more overtake chances and the trio all got their wish during FP3. A second red flag caused racing to stop due to heavy rain, after Lance Stroll’s crash had already halted the session.
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“Normally we perform well in the rain,” Tsunoda reflected. “For now, I prefer rain, but any condition, I’ll just focus on what I can help for Daniel (Ricciardo) — slipstreaming or whatever.”
Tsunoda, who has scored twice as many points as his team-mate, knows that coming back from 20th to place in the top 10 is a very tough ask and will instead work to prioritise Ricciardo’s chances of success.
Tsunoda had his eye on racing alongside Verstappen amid Sergio Perez’s struggles this season. But even though his underperforming partner Ricciardo was reportedly given preference if Christian Horner and Helmut Marko do swing the axe, Tsunoda is still willing to lend a helping hand.
Though it was a difficult Friday for VCARB, as Tsunoda finished 20th in FP2 while Ricciardo could only take 14th in the timesheets. The Japanese driver was optimistic of their chances of improvement across the weekend, however.
“I think it was pretty difficult, especially for our side of the garage,” he added when asked about his thoughts of the opening two practice sessions.
“We found the issue, especially where we’re lacking where we’re compared to other cars, including the other side of the garage. Hopefully we can repair that.”
