02 November 2023 , 20:59
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Yuki Tsunoda vowed to learn from his mistake which cost AlphaTauri and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo dearly at last weekend's Mexican Grand Prix.
On lap 49 of that race, the Japanese driver attempted a move on Oscar Piastri having battled closely with the McLaren racer for several minutes. But it was a frustrated lunge rather than a move that was likely to come off.
As a result, they made contact and Tsunoda was sent into a spin. So instead of running in the points, he dropped to 16th and ended up leaving empty handed while Ricciardo crossed the line seventh.
That was the team's best result of the year but it might have been even better had the Aussie not been left unprotected by his team-mate. And Tsunoda should have scored himself and secured a first double-points finish of the year for AlphaTauri.
Speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, Tsunoda explained how distraught he was with his own mistake. "I was really frustrated after the race because I lost the opportunity to score points for the team," he said.
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"I was having a good race until then. So, I really had massive frustration and actually, it was hard to digest that frustration on that day. Normally, Mexico, you can enjoy. I actually cancelled everything and just stayed in the room. It was a big moment, and it was an opportunity... P5 was definitely possible.
"I don't know whether it's a conscious thing or whatever, but I just feel pretty bad if I play around and have a distraction after I have a bad race... For me, it's the thing I normally do if I have a bad race. I only have a party if I have a good race."
AlphaTauri will be buoyed by the performance of their cars and will look to score more points at Interlagos this weekend. The Mexico result catapulted them up the standings from last place to eighth and within striking distance of seventh-placed Williams if they can finish the season strongly.
Tsunoda wants to use his mistake last weekend to boost his chances of doing that. "With Piastri, I knew I had to pass him as soon as possible. I was too eager. I'll learn from that in the future," he said.
"The most important thing from that weekend is that the car performed really well, and the updates are working. We've moved up in the Constructors’, and I think we can also expect to be competitive at Interlagos, as the slow speed corners should suit our car, so I must stay focused, and hopefully we can score more points."