Tsunoda faces setback in Spain: Last place for Verstappen's teammate

Max Verstappen will once again have to face the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris alone at the Spanish Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda will start at the very back on Sunday, after another failed qualifying. The Japanese is not expected to play a significant role in the race near Barcelona.

The flag had already dropped in Q1, but Tsunoda was still able to start a fast lap. However, the Japanese driver couldn’t get speed in the RB21 and ultimately ended up in the twentieth and last place. Tsunoda seemed to slide too much again, as he had been doing all weekend. Eventually, he was half a second slower than Verstappen which is simply not good enough in today’s F1.

The season for Tsunoda is slowly becoming a disaster. In the previous races at Imola (a crash) and Monaco, the Japanese driver failed to play a significant role. After Liam Lawson, another driver seems to be unable to get close to Verstappen. Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, also Red Bull drivers, did manage to reach Q2 in Spain.