Yuki Tsunoda was impressed by the difference between the Visa Cash App car from last year to this year in F1 Australian GP.
After some of the frustration in the first two rounds of 2024 F1 season, Visa Cash App RB’s Tsunoda finally found some success in Australian GP, not only qualifying in the Top 10 but also finishing in points to register their and his first of the year.
He largely remained alone in the grand prix but crucially in position to score irrespective of any incidents around. He finished eighth on the road but was promoted to seventh after penalty to Fernando Alonso, which allowed the team to edge out Haas in the standings.
“Finally, a top 10 finish, the team definitely deserves it, and I’m very happy,” said Tsunoda. “We were very consistent throughout this weekend and the car felt good straight away, so we just had to put it all together and have a clean race to score points in this tight midfield, and we were able to achieve that.
“We didn’t make any mistakes and it’s important for the team and me to have that confidence going into the next races. To have a clean race sounds easy, but the last two races have been frustrating for us, so finishing P8 (P7), after a productive restructuring, was definitely deserved.
“The team did a fantastic job, and I can see the team is significantly improving every race. I’ve been resetting myself every week and our car has been very consistent which is different compared to last year, so that’s a strength. For myself, I just learn from previous races and focus on what I can do better to help the team,” summed up Tsunoda.
The Japanese driver made a peculiar assessment of the car from last year to this year at the Albert Park circuit. Tsunoda could feel the difference and on the better side which helped him in achieving the points results and highlighting the efforts made.
“The difference in the car between the same time in Melbourne last year and this year is impressive,” said Tsunoda. “Consistently, in a couple of corners, we are using a higher gear compared to last year’s car. We knew that last year’s off-season especially, we struggled a lot, so I think the team has done a significant job.
“I think the massive, massive work to improve ourselves, improve our car, the amount of upgrades we brought second half was like almost every race, it’s definitely hard work that has paid off. To be honest, the race wasn’t so easy because other teams actually picked up their pace quite a bit, but I’m very happy we were able to maximise our performance and opportunity,” summed up Tsunoda.
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