Christian Horner drops his verdict as Yuki Tsunoda crashes his Red Bull during the F1 Saudi Arabian GP FP2

Christian Horner has reacted to the crash suffered by Yuki Tsunoda during the second practice session of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Japanese driver suffered a shunt that brought an end to the session nine minutes ahead of schedule.

The 24-year-old, who was on a long-run lap, clipped his front-left tire against the barrier leading up to the main straight before crashing into the right barrier at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. The incident resulted in damage to his front wing and suspension, along with a puncture to his front-right tire.

While Yuki Tsunoda was able to climb out of the wrecked car unscathed, his team principal, Christian Horner, had a few words to say about the crash. Speaking to the media following the conclusion of the session (via Motorsport), the Red Bull team boss opted to focus on the positives his driver had shown prior to the accident.

“He was on a long run. He’s made a mistake, but up until that point he’s driven very well, so you can see his confidence is building. His times are starting to come, so it’s good to see the number 22 car making progress.

“He had a sensible first session. His short runs were good, and it was just a shame he had that moment, but it shows they’re all pushing.”

Yuki Tsunoda’s crash comes on the back of a near-collision incident he experienced with Carlos Sainz during the last race — the Bahrain Grand Prix. On that occasion, the Red Bull driver clattered the sidepod of the Williams, ultimately forcing Sainz to retire from the race.

Yuki Tsunoda reacts after Saudi GP practice crash

Yuki Tsunoda has reacted following the abrupt end to his second practice session at the Saudi Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver saw his rather promising start to the race weekend come to an end following a shunt that damaged his car.

Tsunoda, who is in his third Grand Prix weekend following his in-season promotion from sister team Racing Bulls, was sixth on the timing sheet and was hoping to get to grips with the Red Bull RB21 challenger, which had recently been fitted with a new engine and a few performance upgrades.

However, the mishap—suffered just before the start-finish line—meant he will have to wait until the next practice session to get a proper feel for things.

Reacting to the incident, he expressed frustration with the manner in which he crashed during the session. Speaking to the media (via Sports Illustrated), the 24-year-old stated:

“Just turning too much and clipped the inside wall and just had damage,” Yuki Tsunoda explained.

“After that, just no control. Apologies to the team, things were looking good, so it’s a shame.”

While the Japanese driver would have hoped for a better ending to his day at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, it’s worth noting that his performance in particular showed some signs of promise for the Red Bull team, who had endured a weekend to forget at the Bahrain Grand Prix.