Yuki Tsunoda to Start Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from Pit Lane
In a significant development leading into the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda will begin the race from the pit lane following a qualifying accident that severely damaged his car. The incident occurred at the Villeneuve chicane during Q1, where Tsunoda lost control of his RB21 and crashed into the barrier, resulting in a barrel roll. He emerged unscathed and was subsequently cleared by medical staff.
Due to the extent of the damage, Red Bull Racing has constructed a spare chassis for Tsunoda. In addition, he will debut a new Honda power unit—his third of the season—thus incurring further penalties for exceeding component limits under parc fermé regulations.
FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer specified that the rebuilding process involved various components of different specifications, necessitating Tsunoda’s pit lane start as per Article 40.9 a) of the 2025 Formula One Sporting Regulations.
Reflecting on his qualifying performance, Tsunoda expressed disappointment, stating, “I’m just really stupid… pushing like that… This is very hard, and we made a lot of changes to the car. Pushing that hard without understanding enough about the car was unnecessary.”
The race promises to be challenging for Tsunoda, who will have to navigate from the pit lane while competing against a highly competitive field.
