Yuki Tsunoda’s Imola Crash Forces Him to Revert to Previous Floor Design at Monaco Grand Prix

Japanese Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda is set to start the Monaco Grand Prix with a disadvantage, as he reverts to an older floor design due to the lingering effects of his massive crash during qualifying at Imola. The accident occurred last Saturday in the fast Tamburello chicane, where Tsunoda overstepped the limit of his Red Bull car.

Damage to Car Forces Construction of Spare Chassis

The impact of the crash caused significant damage to the car, necessitating the construction of a spare chassis with a new power unit and floor. Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Tsunoda confirmed that this means he will be behind on specification compared to his teammate Max Verstappen.

It is understood that Tsunoda will revert to Red Bull’s older, pre-Miami floor. While Verstappen ran the new floor in Miami, Tsunoda received it only for Imola, but unfortunately damaged it beyond repair during qualifying. This appears to be the only difference between Verstappen’s car this weekend.

Tsunoda Still Needs to Understand Car Behavior

Tsunoda admitted that his crash showed he still needs to build up knowledge of how this year’s Red Bull reacts to set-up changes, having jumped in without testing at the Japanese Grand Prix. “Imola qualifying wouldn’t have happened if I understood the car,” he explained. “I was pushing too much, so it’s just lacking understanding of how the car is going to behave with each set-up.

The driver also noted that the Red Bull changes more than he expected and that he needs to take it easy when changing the setup and trying something new. “It’s taking slightly more than expected,” he said, “but as a group we have a good relationship between me and Woody [race engineer Richard Wood] and Cooke [performance engineer Richard Cooke] as well. From our side of the garage, we just keep learning every race.

Monaco Grand Prix Presents Challenges for Tsunoda

The tight streets of Monaco leave little room for error, but Tsunoda vows he will build up the pace gradually. “I quite like it, and I had good memories last two years,” he said. “Apparently, the Red Bull car is a very bumpy car in Monaco and it’s not an easy car to drive, that’s what Max said.

Despite the challenges, Tsunoda remains optimistic about his chances. “So, I just need to build the confidence and hopefully I can make a good qualifying,” he said. “You can’t just follow the same approach as Imola or other tracks where you have a bit of run-off, so I’m just going to build up the pace slowly.

As is the case with many teams, Red Bull has brought circuit-specific upgrades to cope with Monaco’s unique layout. New parts include a higher-downforce rear wing, revised brake ducts for cooling purposes and a tweaked front suspension to allow for greater steering lock to cope with the tight hairpin.