Yuki Tsunoda is putting his bad Spanish GP weekend behind him, and is concentrating on a completely new challenge this weekend as the Japanese rookie has never before raced at Monaco. With Tsunoda stepping up from F3 to F2 to F1 in respective seasons, he hasn't yet had the chance to race at the legendary venue, meaning this weekend is going to provide a completely new challenge for him. Having been knocked out in Q1 in Barcelona before making some controversial comments that insinuated he wasn't getting the same equipment as teammate Pierre Gasly, Tsunoda's race in Spain came to an end after just four laps after a technical issue, and he explained that it's now all firmly behind him. “I’m looking forward to Monaco, particularly as Spain was a difficult weekend for me," Tsunoda explained in his pre-race preview. " I was not happy with my driving in Qualifying and made a mistake, but I must learn to accept that these things can happen and move on. I have only done four race weekends in F1 so far and now I am just resetting my mind. "I am focussing on my driving and adapting as much as possible to the car." Having not been able to even put in a single lap in a racing car at Monaco before, this weekend will be a tough introduction for the rookie, but Tsunoda explained that his experience at another street circuit will come in useful as reference. "I’ve never raced in Monaco in any category, but I have raced in Macau for example, so I have quite a bit of experience on street circuits," he said. " They’re okay. You need a very different approach on a street circuit like Monaco, especially considering I have never been there before. Track evolution is a big factor there, with very low grip at first and then it changes with every session. "The key will be not to make any mistakes in FP1 or FP2 in order to maximise my time on track. There are many unusual factors about this weekend and it was only while we were in Spain that I learned that you practice on Thursday with no track time on Friday. I will have to make sure I do not lose focus or concentration, but I’m sure I can adapt. I have spent a lot of time on the simulator to prepare. "Our car has not always been at its best in the slow corners, which is what we will face in Monaco, but I think that even if the car is obviously important, the main factor will be how much I can adapt to the track. "During practice I will be trying to give the engineers as much good feedback as possible to help them set up the car, while I focus just on my driving. Qualifying will be about having confidence in the car, because that is even more important than usual on a street circuit.”
Most read
