It was a Saturday to forget in Baku for the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team.
Yuki Tsuoda managed to advance to the second segment of qualifying, but qualified 12th for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. While that is a provisional place — as there is a chance he moves up a spot if Pierre Gasly is disqualified after failing a post-qualifying inspection — it was not where the driver hoped to be.
“It’s frustrating to drop out at Q2. It’s not what we expected in terms of performance,” said Tsunoda in the team’s post-qualifying report. “We were lacking pace and it was quite difficult to drive, but we gave it our all. Tire degradation seems trickier than usual compared to previous years, so it seems like tire management will be key tomorrow.”
Things were even more frustrating on the other side of the garage.
Daniel Ricciardo was eliminated in Q1 and is slated to start 16th, absent any penalty-related promotions.
The Australian driver admitted to some surprise at the results Saturday.
“Qualifying was close today. I went in a bit deep at turn four which compromised my exit, so there was some time left on the table there. Otherwise, the lap didn’t feel too bad, and I was surprised we were out in Q1,” said Ricciardo. “It was very tight over one lap between everyone, which is unusual for such a long lap at a street circuit. Any Q1 exit is frustrating, but it’s such small margins around here.”
However, both drivers expressed some optimism that they can make up ground on Sunday, even though overtaking on the Baku city streets can be difficult.
“The new floor is definitely working here compared to Monza, it feels completely different; the team have done a great job in analysing the data,” said Tsunoda. “Other tracks might be a different story, but the next few tracks will be similar to this one, so I’m excited for that. We’ll keep digging into the performance, but we’ll keep calm and do what we can do tomorrow.”
“However, it’s possible to overtake at this circuit. Even seeing the F2 race today, there were opportunities, so that brings us optimism,” said Ricciardo.
“We’ll try to pick it up for tomorrow, it’s a race where you can make something happen.”
