Yuki Tsunoda left disappointed to lose points in F1 Chinese GP due to strategy and front wing break, while Isack Hadjar adds on strategy and Jack Doohan fight.
It was a solid sprint outing for Visa Cash App RB’s Tsunoda in F1 Chinese GP. The Japanese driver and teammate Hadjar made it in the Top 10 in qualifying as well, and were running in the points for most part of the grand prix on Sunday, until the moment when they pitted the second time.
Tsunoda was seventh at the time he pitted, while Hadjar was ninth when Visa Cash App RB decided to stick to their original plan when teams around them switched from two stops to one, seeing the low levels of degradation on the hard compound. This pretty much sealed their fate.
There was only handful of laps for any kind of charge back. Tsunoda was on it but his front wing flap on the inside broke while chasing Carlos Sainz without any warning. It left everyone confused if it was debris and or just the dirty air or air wash from the Spaniard’s car.
Nevertheless, it left Tsunoda disappointed as he missed on crucial points considering how close the midfield is where they need to score at every opportunity. “Strategy wise I couldn’t understand the thoughts behind, didn’t expect to be this good on C2 tyre, but also probably we didn’t have pace as much as sprint race. We have to review that for sure,” he said to media.
“Regarding the front wing, first of all, I didn’t really touch…it seems like it happened from a debris or something but I don’t think I touched that. For me, I was closing gap to Sainz in Turn 1 and I don’t know if the dirty air hit the front endplate or whatever, and caused damage. For me, the front wing naturally fell apart, I don’t know if the issue construction wise or I hit a debris.
“I thought I had a puncture, I was monitoring the temperature and everything was okay. Then I asked if there was a puncture or not, they said no and it seems they recognised quite late as well. I felt like a bus driver when I had front wing damage. Overall, I am very disappointed as we are losing so much points in these two races and this kind of tight season, every point is very important.
“We definitely have to maximise when we have the pace in the car. Last year we were able to achieve that in the first half of the season, we had a tough moment in second half, we still had good points in the bag, that’s why we were able to fight for P7 in the championship but now for me it is a waste in the pace from the car, not able to maximise the performance.
“We have to definitely focus and score points in next race onwards,” summed up Tsunoda. His teammate Hadjar was equally frustrated by the race. The Frenchman had tyres in his kitty but didn’t wish to fight with his race engineer on the radio to change the strategy in only his first full grand prix after the DNS in Australian GP.
“Nothing I could control, that [strategy] ruined my race,” said Hadjar to media. “I think my pace was really strong, was able to stay behind cars and follow them from really closely on equal tyres. I think I drove a good race. You are constantly battling the cars but when you know that you are not going to score points, it is not very enjoyable.
“It is my second race and first full race in Formula 1, so I am not going to invent strategy, we say the plan is this then we stick to this, as simple as that. I am not going to fight from early on. My tyres were very good when I pitted. [I could have stayed out], that’s what the others did and it worked. It is really not complicated, if we pitted once, we would have been in points, I think P7, that’s it.”
In the bid to fight back through, Hadjar was halted early on by Alpine’s Jack Doohan. The Australian went deep at the exit of long straight which cost both the drivers and he was penalised too. The fighting didn’t end as Doohan continued to hold his fort to disallow the Frenchman pass through.
With both Tsunoda and Hadjar out of the points, Visa Cash App RB lost a good chance to finish fifth and seventh on the road after Ferrari’s disqualification. “I didn’t like that, when the other driver out-braked himself, doesn’t make the corner from that far, it is pointless to fight against him and he got a penalty, so I won the fight,” rounded off the Frenchman, when asked about fight with the Australian.
