Yuki Tsunoda regrets ‘trying to be a hero’ at Imola but salvages top 10 finish

Yuki Tsunoda admitted he was left frustrated with himself after “trying to be a hero,” which led to a costly crash in F1 qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Tsunoda was forced to start from the pit lane at Imola on Sunday following a scary rollover crash in Q1.

Heading into the Villeneuve chicane, Tsunoda took too much kerb and spun off into the barriers.

After the initial contact with the barrier, Tsunoda’s car flipped over, making it a scary rollover shunt.

Until then, Tsunoda had shown decent pace at a track he’s familiar with, given Racing Bull’s extensive testing at the Italian circuit.

Tsunoda ultimately came away with 10th, giving Red Bull an additional point in the constructors’ championship.

Reflecting on his crash in qualifying, Tsunoda conceded he will adjust his approach in future races.

“To be honest, the one-lap pace was pretty good,” Tsunoda said. “Until FP2 especially I was pretty close with Max, and in FP3 I didn’t have much opportunity to have any laps.

“I had a quite okay confidence [going] into the Qualifying, and that made it even worse with myself, that I probably made too much expectation to myself. I tried to be a hero in the first lap in Q1, which is really unnecessary.

“It’s just those things that I have to step back and rethink about it, and do better next time, for sure.”

Tsunoda happy to repay Red Bull with a point

The extensive crash damage meant it was a long night for the Red Bull mechanics.

Tsunoda was pleased to leave Imola with at least a point to reward the mechanics for their hard work.

“Yeah, at least I’m happy that I gave something to the team, especially with the amount of work they put overnight, the mechanics – it was massive,” Tsunoda said.

“I’m okay that I at least gave something, but at the same time it was very frustrating still from the last Qualifying… I couldn’t really sleep much last night. Anyway, I have to move on and it is what it is. I’m still okay that I gave something to the team.”