Yuki Tsunoda recently opened up about his challenges at the Chinese Grand Prix that saw him finish 16th. The Racing Bulls #22 driver took to social media to express his frustrations and looked ahead in anticipation.
Tsunoda had a promising start this weekend as he earned his first points in the 2025 Formula 1 season after finishing sixth in the sprint event. Then he qualified in ninth place for the race and was looking in good stead. However, his front wing's end plate broke under pressure which led to an unscheduled pit stop pushing him to the end of the field on Lap 46.
With ten laps remaining in the race, he was unable to come back to a point-winning position and ended the race in last place. After the race, Tsunoda reflected about his challenging Grand Prix on X.
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"Another tough race after starting so well. My front wing failed and we lost the chance to score valuable points," wrote Yuki Tsunoda.
He admitted his frustration as despite a strong performance and staying in the top ten at multiple points throughout the race, a mechanical failure resulted in his last place finish. His position improved to 16th after the disqualification of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly due to technical violations, but it did not fetch him any points.
Despite the setback, Tsunoda chose to remain positive and looked ahead to his much-anticipated homecoming at the Japanese Grand Prix.
"Although it ended with me feeling frustrated and disappointed, I was able to get at least three points, and the next race is my long-awaited home Grand Prix in Japan, so I'm really looking forward to it! I hope we can all have a great time," Yuki Tsunoda added.
The race in the Suzuka Circuit will be his third F1 appearance at the track where he is yet to finish in the top ten.
Yuki Tsunoda and Isaac Hadjar want to 'revise' Racing Bulls' two-stop strategy
After the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, the Racing Bulls drivers have voiced their concerns regarding the team's pit strategy. While the Australian Grand Prix saw a lot of unwanted pit stops due to the rainy conditions, the forecast at Shanghai was better as most teams opted for one pit stop. However, Racing Bulls' insistence on a two-pit strategy lowered their chances of a better finish.
Talking to Formula 1 after the race, Yuki Tsunoda expressed his frustrations:
"Strategy is something we have to revise what happened there as well. I can understand the thoughts behind it, but I guess the main learning is how we can prevent those situations for the future."
Racing Bulls' season so far has been marred with inconsistent performances and mechanical failures. In the first race at Melbourne, Hadjar spun out in the formation lap, which ended his race early. Tsunoda, on the other hand, started the race in the third row but finished outside the points in 12th place. In China, Tsunoda finished last due to wing failure whereas Hadjar finished outside points in 11th.
They will aim to improve on these mishaps in the next race at Suzuka on April 6.
