Yuki Tsunoda: It’s hard to tune a car in Canada

AlphaTauri drivers Nick de Vries and Yuki Tsunoda spoke about their preparations for the Canadian Grand Prix and their expectations for the upcoming race weekend in Montreal.

Nick deVries: “I think the last two races have been very positive. In Monaco we spent the weekend confidently and without problems, and in Barcelona we showed high speed throughout the stage. It’s a pity I didn’t have new tires for the second part of qualifying because I could have done better, but sometimes it happens in difficult conditions.

I had a good start in the race but two cars on the inside of the track held me back and we all lost time. We have the opportunity to add and I already see our potential so I’m staying focused on the work and further progress I’ve shown lately.

The team has done a great job in the previous stages and I see an upward trend – we are getting closer to the top ten. The guys have put a lot of time and effort into refining the car and preparing new products for the track – all the efforts have certainly paid off, increasing our competitiveness.

Given the above, we should not forget that a fierce battle is fought in the middle of the pack, so the effort invested is not always visible in the final result, as it takes more than just speed to achieve it.

Last year I came to a race in Canada and saw this unusual circuit, which combines the characteristics of a stationary ring and an urban ring, but this weekend I will get behind the wheel for the first time.

The track is special – if you look at the schedule, it seems quite easy, but in fact it is quite difficult. Most of the circuits we race on have the same safety standards, relegation zones, curbs and even infrastructure, but the Canadian circuit is unique and has a special character.

Last week I worked on the simulator, but it is difficult to predict what positions we will be in because, as I said, the battle in the middle of the pack is very tight. When setting up a car for this circuit you will have to find answers to interesting questions. I already understood that despite the long weekend everything in Formula 1 moves very quickly. That’s why it’s important to be competitive from the first minutes, progress over the weekend and be prepared for possible weather changes. In qualifying, the speeds grow even faster, so the target is constantly changing.

I look forward to returning to Montreal – it’s a great city that combines features of North America and Europe, especially France because of the French language. It’s a great atmosphere and friendly fans.”

Yuki Tsunoda: “It is disappointing not to score points in Spain because of the penalty, but on the other hand I can say that we were competitive and I am happy with our work that weekend. The team developed a great strategy for the race and qualifying, with the engineers and the whole team helping me a lot.

We work great together, but the most important thing is that we add everything and move in the right direction. The team knows we have problems this season, but in the races we are getting good results thanks to hard work.

I feel like I’m getting better every race and I’m giving 100% in terms of concentration and effort, which was my goal for this year. I know I can get results because I’m attacking the limit every round. Sometimes this leads to mistakes, but I learn from that. The last few races have been positive, I enjoyed overtaking in Barcelona, ​​which I honestly didn’t expect, but our pace was high.

The Canadian track is tough, but interesting to drive, and the atmosphere in the stands is great. This is a city circuit, but it feels like a stationary old school, somewhat reminiscent of Suzuka – as soon as you cross the white line you immediately find yourself on the grass. It is difficult to adjust the car here, as little resistance is needed during acceleration, but at the same time a lot of downforce.

I remember last year’s race in Canada, which was a turning point for me in understanding the car. I had a lot of problems in practice, but I managed and I looked much stronger in the race. Together with the engineers, we found a direction in which I and the car could get faster.

The balance settings we found last year can still be used today. Tests on the simulator last week confirmed this, so I’m happy with how we’ve done with the setup so far. I hope that the solutions found will be justified.”