AlphaTauri has built a fast car for 2021, Pierre Gasly has proven that in every qualifying session so far. Debutant Yuki Tsunoda is not yet able to show this despite high expectations. After the qualifying session in Barcelona, his frustration about this led to some fierce comments towards the team.
Tsunoda hits back at criticism
During qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix Tsunoda didn't even make it out of Q1, after which he openly questioned whether AlphaTauri gives him the same material as Gasly, who is structurally faster. After a few hours of cooling down and probably a lecture from higher up, the young Japanese man apologized for these remarks.
"I want to apologise for my comments today. It was not my intention to criticise the team who have been doing a great job all weekend. I was just frustrated with my performance. Full send tomorrow", concludes Tsunoda.
He then goes on to nuance his earlier statements a little too. "Pierre and I have very different feedback about the car, even when we drive with the same setup. Once I find the reason for that, I can really get all the potential out of this car."