Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that the updates RB brought to the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix were “not even close” to producing the lap time the team were anticipating.
RB introduced an upgrade package at Monza as it strived to return to the competitiveness that it retained earlier in the season when it was a regular points contender.
The Faenza-based squad was on a strong run when developments in Spain triggered unintended characteristics that prompted the side to abandon several new parts.
Among RB’s latest revisions was a new floor – an element several teams have endured complications with in 2024 – designed to boost downforce and manage airflow.
However, Tsunoda was bewildered as he was eliminated in Q1, and then his race unravelled on the seventh lap when he collided at Turn 1 with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.
But while he would miss out on the chance to complete a race distance as he retired, Tsunoda accrued enough mileage to be concerned the upgrades haven’t worked.
“I came into the weekend with high expectations with this upgrade, and it didn’t seem to work, so I hope it is not a downgrade,” the Japanese driver said.
“We just didn’t have the pace and the limitations around the lap [compared to Ricciardo] are kind of similar.
“Whatever I do is just exaggerating limitations and I just keep sliding so it sucks but it is pretty hard to catch up.
“If you see the numbers [on the simulator], I should gain some lap time, but it is not even close to that and pretty far off from what we wanted for sure.”
But with team-mate Ricciardo, who was penalised twice en route to 13th, running the old package, Tsunoda took some solace in RB obtaining vital data to pore over.
“The team wanted to read how the new floor behaves and we wanted to gather the data, but clearly in qualifying we were struggling with the car over one lap,” he said.
“We were hoping that in the race, at least a new floor would give some benefits, and with upgrades, you have to try them on track to see how the behaviour is.
“But it is completely different to what I felt in the simulator, and on paper, it should work. But at least we had a good opportunity to compare [the two floors].”
RB has retained its sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship despite its point-less endeavour, with Haas picking up one point to reduce the margin to six points.
