30/04/2023
NEWS STORY
Yuki Tsunoda: "It was a tough race today but the team, especially the mechanics, did a great job to repair the car after yesterday. The engineers found a strong set-up, even if we lost some time in sector two. We didn't get many chances to do long runs this weekend but to be able to demonstrate a strong pace, and build on this performance throughout the race, was awesome from the team. I am also happy with my performance. I was consistent, and being sandwiched between the two McLarens meant any mistake would cost us the point. It took a lot of concentration but in the end, we were able to achieve another top-ten finish. There is still room for development and improvement to fight for points consistently, but I have confidence in my team to race stronger in the future."
Nyck de Vries: "The accident today was fully my mistake. It was very silly and unnecessary and that responsibility is on me. I am disappointed with myself but that's the way it is. There are positives to take away from this weekend and I'll try to look at them. I am happy to be racing again next week so I forget this weekend as soon as possible."
Guillaume Dezoteux (Head of Vehicle Performance): "We are very happy to end the weekend with a point. Yuki drove a solid race, the strategy calls were right and the pit stop was competitive. At the start of the race, we knew it would be difficult to hold faster cars behind us, but Yuki remained focused, made no mistakes and settled in a train of cars with both McLarens, a Haas and an Alpine. We were continuously evaluating safety car scenarios and monitoring other cars to react, although in the end, there was nothing to react to. Nyck's race started well with an offset strategy. We decided to start on the hard tyre, chasing any opportunity to make ground through the pack. Unfortunately, he made contact with the inside of Turn 5 and broke his front left track rod, which forced him to stop on track. Overall, this weekend has been solid and the track layout has suited us better. There are similarities in Miami, so we will review everything in the next couple of days to prepare as best we can for next weekend."
Franz Tost (Team Principal): "Firstly, congratulations to Red Bull Racing for another front-row finish. As for our weekend, we came to this race with some aero updates, and I'm pleased to say they seem to work very well. The team in Bicester did a fantastic job because we have been competitive from the very beginning of the weekend. The highlight was of course Friday's qualifying, where Yuki finished in eighth position. As for today's race, he was overtaken by Stroll and Russell on the first lap, but this is what I expected as their cars are simply faster than ours. Nevertheless, Yuki did a fantastic job. He was able to split the McLarens, staying quite close to Norris and keeping Piastri behind. Overall, a big congratulations to Yuki for another strong performance, which shows how much he is improving race by race. Unfortunately, Nyck had an accident, he touched the wall in turn 5, breaking the front left track rod, and that was the end of his race. Generally speaking, we have improved the car performance dramatically since the start of the season, so now I am even more looking forward to the next race in Miami."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Baku here.