In the high-speed world of Formula 1, Yuki Tsunoda found himself facing a tough break during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. During the closing stages of the second practice session, Tsunoda crashed his Red Bull RB21 in a scene that quickly became a talking point on the grid.
Tsunoda, contesting his third Grand Prix with Red Bull, had been replacing Liam Lawson when his race weekend took a downturn. The incident occurred when Tsunoda misjudged the turn at the final corner, hitting the inside wall and breaking the front-left steering arm, which sent him crashing into the opposite wall. This rapid sequence of events left Tsunoda and his team grappling with the consequences.
Three-time IndyCar race winner Kyle Kirkwood analyzed this crash more closely and pointed out a peculiar design aspect of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit wall. According to Kirkwood, the wall Tsunoda hit featured ‘many sharp joints’ at its connections. In a post on social media platform X, Kirkwood explained that if the wall had been smooth or the car impacted a flat section, the crash might have been avoided.
Tsunoda, reflecting on the incident, apologized to his team. ‘Just turning too much and clipped the inside wall and just had damage,’ he said. ‘After that, just no control. Apologies to the team; pace was looking good, so it’s a shame.’ His comments capture the frustration of a driver who was performing well until an unfortunate error brought his practice session to an abrupt halt.
In support of Tsunoda, Red Bull’s senior advisor Helmut Marko provided some comfort by describing the incident as an unfortunate accident. Marko noted Tsunoda was driving with a different setup intentionally to explore the car’s performance angles. He described Tsunoda’s contact with the wall as a stroke of bad luck, emphasizing that the speed and performance were promising despite the crash.
The crash incident closed Tsunoda’s competitive FP2 running prematurely, slotting him into the sixth position, merely three spots behind his teammate Max Verstappen. It was a disappointing end to what seemed to be a promising practice session.
Although Tsunoda’s crash was a setback, the analysis from Kirkwood and the supportive words from Marko suggest that it was an unfortunate mix of circumstances rather than a reflection of the driver’s capabilities. As the season progresses, Tsunoda will undoubtedly aim to use this experience to bounce back stronger.
