“I made quite a few mistakes”: How Yuki Tsunoda came to understand the intricacies of F1 2026 at Monza

This weekend in Madrid, Yuki Tsunoda gets another chance in Formula 1, stepping in for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls, who is racing for Red Bull in place of the injured Isack Hadjar.

The new circuit presents another significant test for Tsunoda, who had only encountered the latest car generation in a simulator before his debut at the Dutch Grand Prix. That weekend unfolded relatively well – he finished just shy of the points on Sunday, outpacing his teammate Arvid Lindblad – but he faced much tougher conditions at the Italian GP last weekend.

There, he struggled with pace compared to Lindblad during practice and qualifying, and he found himself on the wrong grid position when the race was restarted. He crossed the line in 10th, but this result is under review due to a protest from Audi, claiming Tsunoda should have faced penalties for causing an additional formation lap.

“I often forgot about SM [Straightline Mode] last week, particularly between Turn 8 and Turn 10,” he shared in Madrid.

“There are more activation points compared to last year. Plus, I have to work harder during the out lap to avoid using too much energy.

“But of course, if you don't use the energy, the tyres will get cold, so sometimes you need to be aggressive about where you [need] to be.

“You aim to start the lap with a full battery, but deciding where to make sacrifices is very tricky – and I messed that up quite a bit in qualifying. The consequences were significant.”

Yuki Tsunoda enters his third F1 race of 2026 with Racing Bulls in Madrid

The current vehicles are more intricate to handle than the previous generation that Tsunoda is familiar with. Balancing nearly equal output between the electric motor and the internal combustion engine demands a driving style that can sometimes feel counterintuitive, not always prioritizing cornering speed while also managing active aerodynamics.

Achieving an 'optimal lap' often necessitates that drivers maintain specific throttle positions instead of improvising, to avoid confusing the machine-learning algorithms that dictate the best electrical power usage throughout the lap. Monza further complicated matters as its configuration provides limited chances to gather energy; achieving a quick lap required both a slipstream and a solid understanding of leveraging the restricted electrical power.

“It feels like you have to pay more attention to the steering monitor,” Tsunoda remarked.

“You also have to be slightly more sensitive with the throttle, especially during the out-lap. It's unusual, particularly in the out-lap and qualifying, but I think this is part of the current regulations in F1, and you have to cope with it.

“I was somewhat underestimating the extent of the penalties or repercussions for not executing everything correctly, and I definitely felt that in qualifying.”

Despite this, Max Verstappen recently stated that the quick adaptation of drivers like Lawson and Tsunoda to a new car highlights the shortcomings of the new regulations.

“These cars are unresponsive to your driving inputs,” he noted.

In response to this, Tsunoda said, “I’m not really concerned with his comments.”

“And, you know, considering my results over the two races, it’s quite a personal matter.

“I believe I’ve performed well. That’s all there is to it.”

Photos from F1 Spanish GP - Friday