Dark
Light
Dark
Light
Mekies Lauds Tsunoda's Remarkable F1 Rally

RB F1 Scores Big with Tsunoda’s Car Rebuild

22/07/2024

Mekies praises RB F1’s strategy and Tsunoda’s resilient drive, leading to a noteworthy two-point finish.

RB F1 snatched two points in Hungary, thanks to a fine one-stop strategy for Yuki Tsunoda. After a Q3 crash, the Japanese driver saw his car repaired and drove to ninth place, pleasing team director Laurent Mekies.

“Over the past few weeks, everyone in Faenza and Bicester has worked hard and efficiently to achieve the performance improvement we witnessed here in Hungary,” said the Frenchman, who also noted that the pure performance was evident on Saturday.

“The fact that both cars reached Q3 proves it, once again leading the pack and the points we collected are a well-deserved reward for all these efforts.”

“Yuki’s race was sensational, and we were the only car to dare a one-stop race, which allowed us to beat not only the midfield drivers but also the two Aston Martins. Yuki’s tire management was unmatched, and he held on until the end.”

“The team also did a truly remarkable job in a short time by rebuilding Yuki’s car around a new chassis after his Q3 crash. Unfortunately, we made a mistake with Daniel and brought him in too early into dense traffic, costing him a chance to fight for points.”

“His pace was extremely strong all weekend, and he demonstrated it again in the last stint of the race when he finally found some clear air and made his way back. We certainly share his frustration and will learn and come back stronger next week.”

“We are now heading to Spa, a very different challenge from the Hungaroring. We go there with the positives from our good weekend here and will give everything to make our car perform as best as it can on this fast and flowing circuit.”

“A fine achievement” in securing two points

Guillaume Dezoteux, vehicle performance director at RB F1, also praised the mechanics’ work, before analyzing the race: “Yuki finished ninth and brought us two valuable points that reward the team’s hard work overnight to repair his car after the qualifying accident.”

“Both cars had a good start but lost positions to drivers on soft tires in the early laps. Some cars began to pit early and we reacted with Daniel, which put him in intense traffic and didn’t allow him to use his pace.”

“Anticipating his second stop allowed us to regain some positions and Daniel posted good lap times, but it wasn’t enough to finish in the points and he ended up 12th.”

“With Yuki, we decided to extend the first stint. His good tire management and consistent lap times opened the possibility of a one-stop race, which we executed. This strategy allowed us to beat the two Aston Martins, which is a fine achievement, ending the weekend on a high note.”

Mekies Lauds Tsunoda's Remarkable F1 Rally

Mekies Lauds Tsunoda’s Remarkable F1 Rally Mekies Lauds Tsunoda’s Remarkable F1 Rally

Next Race
Azerbaijan GP 15 SEPT
Time
UK
FP112:30
FP24:00
FP311:30
Q3:00
Race 1:00
Upcoming Events
Date Race
15 SEPTAZERBAIJAN GP
22 SeptSingapore GP
20 OctUnited States GP
27 Oct
Mexican GP
03 NovBrazilian GP

Newsletter

Go toTop