Spanish GP: Max Verstappen defends the teammate of Red Bull Yuki Tsunoda after qualifying the shock and says that he “is not a pancake” | F1 News

Max Verstappen insisted that Yuki Tsunoda “is not a pancake” after his teammate of Red Bull ending the last at the qualification of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Red Bull had a hard time finding a teammate usable for the quadruple reigning world champion Verstappen since the form of Sergio Perez has dropped spectacularly in the early stadiums of last season.

Perez was ax at the end of 2024 with Liam Lawson promoted to racing Bulls, before Tsunoda considerably replaced his former teammate after only two laps of the 2025 season.

There were positive lightnings for Tsunoda, but he had a lot of trouble, scoring only seven points in six laps during a period during which Verstappen won two victories as well as two other podiums.

Before Perez, Verstappen led alongside Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, who were both moved by Red Bull after having had trouble matching the Dutch, but who established themselves as respected drivers in sport.

Asked about Tsunoda’s difficulties in Barcelona on Saturday, Verstappen told Dutch journalists: “Yuki is not a pancake. This (with the 2nd Red Bull driver) has been continuing for a long time.

“Maybe it’s a sign. What can you decide yourself.”

It is not known exactly what Verstappen was involved, but his comments could either point to his level of excellence, the gaps of the cars of Red Bull, or both.

Verstappen, widely considered the first leading pilot on the current gate, is known to be able to manage car styles and configurations that leave some of the best pilots in the world.

Tsunoda: this is a fairly difficult situation

Tsunoda appeared Crestfoln after his exit, admitting that he had been “happy” with his knees before discovering that it was just good enough to put it on the back of the field.

The 25 -year -old was sixth tenth of his teammates from his teammate, Verstappen continued to claim the third on the grid.

The Japanese driver said Sky Sports F1: “Suddenly compared to any other Grand Prix, I lost the performance considerably.

“Since FP1, the amount of grip I had was very low. Something strange was happening.

“We did our best to cure the problem but, to be honest, whatever we did, we made a better balance, but it was not, on the whole, a step forward.

“The tour I had in Q1 I was quite satisfied, confidence was there but the grip itself does not follow at all. It is a fairly difficult situation.”

Tsunoda had asked in the first trimester that his soil be checked during the first quarter on a sidewalk, but he was not sure of the immediate session if the damage had been a factor in his struggles.

He added: “It’s difficult to say. I should see if there is damage or not. I don’t think our driving was crazy. It was always an acceptable level.

“From Tour 1 (from the weekend), there was no pace, so it was not as if I had suddenly lost performance. I am currently struggling.”

In the official press release of Red Bull after the session, the director of the team Christian Horner admitted that Tsunoda’s difficulties in Spain were “difficult to understand”.

“Yuki had trouble all weekend,” said Horner.

“We climbed a little on the support force to try to help him, but it is difficult to understand, we will have to take a look.”

Spanish GP Hours of Sky Sports F1

Sunday June 1
7:25 am: F3 functionalities race
8:55 am: F2 functionality breed
12:30 p.m.: Grand Prix Sunday: Spanish GP Build-Up *
2 p.m.: The Spanish Grand Prix *
4 p.m.: Damy flag: Spanish GP reaction

* Live on the main event of Sky Sports

The triple European F1 header ends with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, ​​with the Sunday race at 2 p.m. and construction from 12:30 p.m. Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – no contract, cancel at any time