In a mixed start to the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, Yuki Tsunoda finds himself with work to do following a challenging pair of practice sessions in Montreal. Unlike earlier races this season, where one team typically dominated the early sessions, Friday in Montreal saw drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren, and Williams all sharing time at the top of the timesheets.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen appeared confident and in the hunt for the top spots in Montreal. Tsunoda, however, approached the rest of the weekend with a more measured approach, simply wanting to make it to Q3.
“I definitely have to be in Q3, that’s the target. Let’s see how it goes.”
Tsunoda, who has yet to progress to Q3 since the Miami Grand Prix, finished FP2 in 15th place. Eight-tenths off the pace of George Russell and three-tenths behind his teammate. While the gap might have raised concerns, RacingNews365 reported that the Red Bull pair were not running identical machinery.
Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan confirmed that Tsunoda had not yet received the recent upgrades fitted to Verstappen’s car. Monaghan emphasised that the team is aiming to deliver this improved package to Tsunoda over the weekend.
“We’ll try to do it this weekend, but it’s somewhat dependent on our ducks aligning, and if we can, of course, we will.”
Tsunoda remains positive ahead of qualifying
Despite not having the upgrades on his Red Bull, Tsunoda remained upbeat following a difficult Friday in Montreal. Hinting at the potential of upgrades just in time for tomorrow’s qualifying session.
“I think the feeling is okay… I know there’s something to come in for [Saturday], which is good—that will hopefully give me a bit of free lap time.”
The Japanese driver has shown flashes of promise this season, but similarly to those before him, has struggled to settle into the second Red Bull seat. However, Tsunoda is fully aware that a Q3 appearance in Montreal is essential for his confidence as well as Red Bull’s season.
“Like I said, there’s something to come. And, yeah, let’s see how the [car] behaves with that.”
Tsunoda’s pace dropped slightly between FP1 and FP2, falling from P11 to P15 as the track evolved and lap times improved across the board. However, he remained adamant that the set-up changes made throughout the day created solid foundations for Red Bull.
“Other than that, I think it was good progress in terms of setup—obviously not enough in the end. So, yeah, definitely, let’s find out and improve from Saturday.”
