yuki⁣ Tsunoda’s promising start ​to the Las ⁣Vegas⁤ Grand Prix weekend was derailed during qualifying, leaving him in nineteenth position.The Japanese driver had shown‌ strong⁣ pace in the ‌first free practice session,​ even outpacing teammate and championship leader max Verstappen, raising hopes for a strong qualifying performance and potential ⁤support role during the race.

However, inclement weather and⁤ a ⁢critical error by the Red Bull team ultimately hampered⁣ Tsunoda’s chances. He finished qualifying significantly‍ off the pace,with only Lewis Hamilton recording a slower ⁤time.

Team Takes Obligation

Following the ⁣disappointing⁢ result,⁢ Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies publicly accepted full⁣ responsibility​ for Tsunoda’s struggles.​ Speaking with Viaplay, Mekies stated, “Unfortunately, we​ were ⁤fully wrong about Yuki, so⁣ we can only take the blame for that.”

Mekies ⁤pinpointed a meaningful⁢ miscalculation regarding tire pressure ‍as the root ⁣cause of the problem. ‌”We ⁤made a ⁣pretty big mistake with the tire pressure,so we​ practically didn’t​ give him any chance to get ⁣a good result becuase he had no grip. That shouldn’t happen, but it ​does happen, so we have to make sure it ‌doesn’t happen again. And we’re definitely ⁤going to ‍apologize to⁣ Yuki.”

the error ⁢effectively negated Tsunoda’s ability to compete effectively, dashing hopes for ⁢a strong showing from the ⁣second Red Bull ⁣driver in Las ‍Vegas.