The Japanese driver was one of only two to start the race on the soft tyre after qualifying on it in Q3 on Saturday.
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Yuki Tsunoda was pleased to bring home two points for AlphaTauri in the United States Grand Prix on Sunday, putting in a quietly impressive performance on his first visit to the Circuit of the Americas. Tsunoda gained two positions on the first lap to finish eighth, and despite falling behind Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, he was able to keep his position within the top ten with relative ease. The Japanese driver was one of only two to start the race on the soft tyre after qualifying on it in Q3 on Saturday, and he made good use of them to keep him in a good position until he switched to the harder compounds for the final two stints.
“It’s been a good day, I’ve managed to score some important points for the team in the Championship, so I’m really happy with that,” said Tsunoda.
“It was really tough out there as it was so hot. It wasn’t easy starting on the soft tyre, as I had a different strategy to everyone around me, but it meant that I had the advantage on the opening lap, and I tried to make the most of it. The pace today was quite good, so I’m pleased to be coming away with points,” the Japanese driver added.
However, things did not go as planned for Tsunoda’s teammate Pierre Gasly. The former Red Bull driver was forced to retire due to a problem with his rear suspension, despite running inside the top ten in the early laps. After starting eighth, Gasly dropped to tenth on the first lap but was able to repass Bottas to run ninth before dropping out of the points and retiring, much to the chagrin of the Frenchman.
“Unfortunately, we had a suspension problem today, that forced us to retire the car,” said Gasly.
“At the moment we don’t know the real cause, so we’ll have to go away and investigate this. It’s very frustrating because we know every point counts at this stage in our midfield battle. It would’ve been really good to go until the end of this race, as the atmosphere has been incredible this weekend, right from the very beginning, so it’s a shame to not be seeing the chequered flag,” the AlphaTauri driver added.
Max Verstappen defeated title rival Lewis Hamilton in a thrilling duel in the 2021 United States Grand Prix, with Red Bull gaining ground on Mercedes thanks to Perez’s podium finish – and the championship leader extending his lead to 12 points. Hamilton had a fantastic start from second on the grid in Austin, and despite Verstappen squeezing him as far down the inside as possible in the run-up to Turn 1, the Briton gained P1 from the Dutchman to lead going into the esses. Perez started third and quickly fell behind, losing hundredths and then tenths to the leaders.
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