Tsunoda sees positive step after 'getting much closer' to Verstappen

08:50, 06 Aug

Co-author:Kada Sárközi

bySandy van Wijngaarden

Yuki Tsunoda finished the Hungarian Grand Prix in seventeenth place, while Max Verstappen just finished inside the points in P9. Yet the Japanese man sees he was closer to Verstappen than ever, something he is proud of.

The Hungaroring was not the most pleasant circuit on the calendar for Red Bull Racing. Yuki Tsunoda had to start from the pit lane due to engine part changes and ultimately finished in 17th place at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Max Verstappen himself scored two points last Sunday, crossed the finish line ninth.

Tsunoda sees himself getting closer to Verstappen

After the Hungarian Grand Prix, was asked whether it's a consolation that he was closer to Verstappen.

“That's a positive,” Tsunoda began to GPblog among others.

"It's showing that I'm having progress. To be honest, after the package was introduced for me, I’m much closer to Max. I mean, you can see on paper, in the short run especially, it's quite clear that I'm closing the gap to Max."

“Yesterday was probably one of the closest gaps in the four years, which I think the team was proud of. And I think I can be proud of doing that. So I just keep what I'm doing.”

“Obviously as a team we struggled this weekend, so even I was behind, I was eliminated in Q1, I couldn't go to Q2. So on paper it doesn't look good, but at the same time I think I'm doing so far what is possible," the Japanese driver concluded. He also underlined he would be going to the simulator after, so a similar issues will not be repeated at Zandvoort.

After the Hungarian GP, top advisor Helmut Marko also commented on Tsunoda's performance to this website among others. "He was as near as never before. One tenth he was behind. Unfortunately, he was dropped out in Q1. So, he's moving up," the Austrian's verdict was.