Yuki Tsunoda
and
Jack Doohan
Drivers voiced concerns over traffic during the Formula 1 sprint qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix, resulting in several racers failing to post times in the closing stages ofSQ1.
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Tsunoda clearly felt frustrated due to the heavy traffic affecting both his only Super Qualifying lap and his subsequent effort to post another fast time near the end of the session. The appearance of Oliver Bearman’s Haas from the pits caused Tsunoda to ease off during his initial lap. Meanwhile, congestion in the pit lane meant he didn’t have sufficient time for a follow-up attempt. This situation left the Red Bull racer short-handed in his efforts to improve his position.
Doohan found himself ensnared in the congested pit lane after not applying sufficient steering lock to navigate smoothly into the swift-moving fast lane, causing him to be stuck. He required assistance from his crew to tow him back, during which several vehicles passed him, advancing their positions and leaving Doohan behind in the queue.
The Australian believed that the team’s concurrent release of their teammate
Pierre Gasly
had prevented him from exiting the pits correctly. As a result, all three drivers—including Bearman—were knocked out in Q1.
On the second try, when Tsunoda fell short of crossing the finish line by just a few seconds, he believed that the interaction with his team during the out-lap was similarly inadequate. He had realized they were pressed for time to complete a lap.
A smart car emerged from the pits right as I had to abort my lap; many vehicles really disrupted my initial circuit,” explained Tsunoda, who also found himself sandwiched between Ferraris during his first timed lap.
Yuki Tsunoda, driver for Red Bull Racing
Photo courtesy of: Red Bull Content Pool
To tell you the truth, that sums it up. On the final turn, clearly, I experienced significant wheel locking. However, honestly speaking, the lap started going wrong right from Turn 1 due to how the car was positioned at the exit. As such, I couldn’t manage to complete a decent lap at all.”
“I was [aware it was tight], I did whatever I can, but it’s like, what do you want me to do? I don’t know, because there’s a car in front and communication was pretty poor as well. Just in general, I didn’t [get a] proper qualifying.
It’s quite distant, but I’ll give it my all. Given how unpredictable this course can be, I remain optimistic and will strive to do my best.
Doohan regretted his poor performance during qualifying and expressed his frustration over the radio after his SQ1 exit. He later admitted that he might have improved on his second run if he hadn’t encountered delays getting off the pit lane.
The Australian thinks he faces a challenging race on Saturday, but remains hopeful that the team can collect valuable data to enhance his prospects of scoring his first Formula 1 points on Sunday.
It all boils down to the final circulating lap. It felt great, but I got obstructed as soon as I exited the pit lane, which was problematic since it came from another vehicle.
Jack Doohan, Alpine
Photo credit: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
I couldn’t complete all the final timed laps, which is why they set them so lengthy; typically, you only need to do two laps and see significant improvement on the second one. In the end, I was the last car on track and didn’t have the opportunity.
“The first lap was really messy, just trying a few things different from practice and still it wasn’t too bad, and I think there was a lot more time in the car for the second lap. I guess we’ll never know though.
“The sprint’s going to be a tough one, we just need to learn as much as we can from that for the main race and then focus on the main quali.”
Doohan’s fiery radio traffic after SQ1 elimination
Doohan: “Am I making it or not?”
Stuart Barlow (race engineer): “Alright buddy, maybe not here, but let’s continue giving it a shot.”
Doohan: “You know, man, that’s just not acceptable. It’s really not acceptable at all.”
Barlow: “Yeah, sorry mate.”
Doohan said, “If you plan to deploy Gasly against me, ensure he’s prepared…or ahead of me. I cannot veer out and back in again since he might collide with me. This would result in my elimination from Q1. It’s absurd.”
