Yuki Tsunoda’s run of success in the 2024 Formula 1 season continues. At the Monaco GP, he also kept former Monte Carlo winner Daniel Ricciardo at bay throughout the entire race weekend and was once again able to score points. Not for the first time this year, however, he not only left his Racing Bulls teammate behind, but also outperformed both Aston Martin drivers. The Japanese driver now even dreams of overtaking the Silverstone team in the Constructors’ World Championship.
“If you look at the last few races, we are between the top 5 or top 4 teams and we are slowly closing in on Aston Martin,” analyzed Tsunoda. An analysis that is not without reason. After all, over the last three race weekends, the team from Faenza collected a total of 17 points, while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll together only collected five.
Racing Bulls in good shape? Only Yuki Tsunoda is a points guarantee
Tsunoda is optimistic that this trend can be continued: “I think we are in good shape and we have a good rhythm. We will bring further developments in the coming races. These upgrades will hopefully give us a few more tenths to catch up with Aston Martin.”
However, the 24-year-old seems to be something of a lone fighter at the moment. Daniel Ricciardo was only able to contribute five points to the small Red Bull team’s points haul this Formula 1 season with a sensational fourth place in the sprint in Miami. On Sundays, Ricciardo is still empty-handed.
Yuki Tsunoda after Monaco: Only the last laps were fun
In Monaco, the decision was made in qualifying. Yuki Tsunoda qualified in P8 and then only had to manage his position in the race. “We didn’t want to give our competitors any space that they could have used for a pit stop,” explained Tsunoda. That worked. The drive there was frustrating, however, as he had to scale back massively for almost the entire duration of the race.
He was not alone in this. Almost everyone in Monaco was busy managing their pace so as not to allow their direct opponents to make pit stops. “The last few laps were fun because I was able to push again, but up until then it was all fine-tuning and you had to be careful not to be too greedy,” said Tsunoda.