Tsunoda apologises to AlphaTauri after getting "too excited" ahead of Imola crash

Yuki Tsunoda has issued an apology to his AlphaTauri team after crashing out of qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

The Japanese rookie lost control of his AT02 at the Variante Alta on his first flying lap, bringing a halt to the session after causing extensive damage to the rear of the car after hitting the tyre barriers.

Tsunoda revealed he was happy with the lap up until that point and took full responsibility for the mistake.

"I was pushing too much on entry," Tsunoda told Sky Sports F1. "To be honest, until then the lap felt great actually.

"It was potentially easy to go through Q1 with one tyre. I was too excited. It was a silly mistake and I feel sorry for the team. I have to reset today and try my best tomorrow.

"I don't have any pain, I feel worried more for the car than me. It looks pretty bad at the back so I really hope the car can be repaired properly for tomorrow, I just feel really sorry for the team."

Lining up last on the grid will feel like a missed opportunity for Tsunoda, who has tested at Imola for AlphaTauri multiple times in the lead up to his rookie season with the circuit located roughly 15km away from the team's base in Faenza.

With a chance of rain in tomorrow's race, Tsunoda acknowledged he must refocus ahead of a potentially challenging afternoon to contend with.

"It is going to be different conditions," he added. "With rain, anything can happen so I need to pull it all together, don't make mistakes like today.

"It is going to be difficult conditions so I have to adapt to the conditions as fast as possible and push until the end."

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