Mekies Applauds Tsunoda's Japan Success

In Japan, RB F1’s Tsunoda clinched a ‘superb’ result, praised by Mekies, while Ricciardo’s race was marred by an ‘unfortunate incident,’ highlighting the highs and lows of motorsport for the team.

RB F1 scored a point in Japan thanks to an outstanding race by Yuki Tsunoda. The local hero benefited from excellent race management, earning praise from Laurent Mekies, the team’s director.

“A fantastic result for the team. Yuki drove a brilliant and well-controlled race in front of his home crowd, managing his tires and pushing hard when it mattered. Great overtakes as well, and not a single mistake throughout the weekend. He deserves this wonderful outcome,” noted the Frenchman.

“Daniel’s first-lap incident was unfortunate. We were quite vulnerable to our competitors behind us, who were mostly on soft tires, and these things can happen. What’s important is that both our drivers had a good pace here, as we demonstrated in yesterday’s qualifying.”

“The team did an excellent job of extracting everything we could from our package this weekend, including a decisive pit stop under high pressure during the race and many tough decisions.”

“It’s only one point for the championship, but it’s a very important one, especially on a day when the top five teams had both cars finish the race. A big congratulations to everyone in Faenza, Bicester, and our partner Honda. We know we must continue to push very hard in every area to stay ahead of the pack, and it will be another completely new challenge for the sprint in China in two weeks.”

Egginton praises the team for a great group effort

Jody Egginton, RB F1’s technical director, also highlights Tsunoda’s work: “The Suzuka race was a very tight battle from start to finish for the last point, but we emerged at the head of the group, thanks to what can only be described as a true team effort.”

“Yuki drove superbly, managing his tires well during the race phases where it was needed, but also showing good pace when necessary to maintain the right gap,” continues the British director, detailing the Japanese driver’s race.

“The pit wall adapted the strategy well after the restart, and the pit crew executed a second fantastic pit stop under pressure, giving Yuki a strong re-entry position on the track in what was an intense battle with Stroll, Bottas, Hulkenberg, and Magnussen.”

“Unfortunately, Daniel’s race didn’t really get started due to his first-lap incident that took him out of contention. Despite not running on dry ground on Friday, he had solid qualifications on Saturday, and we are confident that we can continue to make progress with him in the upcoming events.”

“Everyone on the track and in Faenza and Bicester has worked and continues to work very hard, and the result of this Japanese GP provides further energy to keep pushing and developing the VCARB 01 and the team. We are all looking forward to the upcoming races.”