Tsunoda ‘reset mind’ to get over F1 Spanish GP frustrations

The AlphaTauri driver endured a difficult weekend in Spain, which ended in retirement after a suspected engine issue caused him to stop during the early stages of the race.

It followed a surprise Q1 elimination on Saturday which Tsunoda responded angrily to when he questioned whether he was getting the same equipment as teammate Pierre Gasly, before later apologising to his team.

Having admitted that he needs to learn to accept that such frustrations can happen, the 21-year-old has since shifted his focus onto this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

“I’m looking forward to Monaco, particularly as Spain was a difficult weekend for me,” Tsunoda said.

“I was not happy with my driving in Qualifying and made a mistake, but I must learn to accept that these things can happen and move on.

“I have only done four race weekends in F1 so far and now I am just resetting my mind. I am focussing on my driving and adapting as much as possible to the car.”

It will mark Tsunoda’s first-ever experience at Monaco and the Japanese driver says he will need to adapt to the unique challenge fast if he is to enjoy a successful weekend, having only learned two weeks ago that practice for the race starts on Thursday. 

“I’ve never raced in Monaco in any category, but I have raced in Macau for example, so I have quite a bit of experience on street circuits,” he explained.

“They’re okay. You need a very different approach on a street circuit like Monaco, especially considering I have never been there before. Track evolution is a big factor there, with very low grip at first and then it changes with every session.

“The key will be not to make any mistakes in FP1 or FP2 in order to maximise my time on track.

"There are many unusual factors about this weekend and it was only while we were in Spain that I learned that you practice on Thursday with no track time on Friday,” he added.

"I will have to make sure I do not lose focus or concentration, but I’m sure I can adapt. I have spent a lot of time on the simulator to prepare.”