Tsunoda blames “dust and degradation” for Monaco barrier-bashing moment

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda insisted he wasn't 'pushing too hard' when crashing out of second practice for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Driving on the streets of Monte Carlo for the first time, Tsunoda impressed in first practice to finish ninth but missed half of the second session after sliding into the barrier between the swimming pool chicane and La Rascasse.

It is not the first error Tsunoda has made so far in his rookie season having crashed out of qualifying at Imola before spinning out of points contention during the race at the same venue.

On his mistake at Monaco, Tsunoda said: “I think I didn’t push too hard in entry, so I think [it was down to] just having lost the grip in the end. I think [I had] a lot of degradation and some dust.

“I just lost completely the rear between [turns] 15 and 16 and then I went into the wall and I had to finish the session.”

The Japanese driver had never experienced the Monte Carlo circuit before Thursday's running because last year’s F1 event and its F2 support race was cancelled amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked if the incident has set back his preparation and will cause problems for the rest of the weekend he replied: “Maybe. I had two softs for [Saturday] so it’s not the end of the world. I just have to prepare more for Saturday and try to put it all together.”

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