Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda has one of the best views of the action on the track at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Japanese driver guided his car to 10 at Imola, earning the V-CARB team another crucial point and further enhancing his reputation.
Yuki Tsunoda was speaking on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast about the race and one driver in particular who really impressed him.
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix proved how important one-lap pace and correct strategy were.
Oscar Piastri might be left wondering what could have been after earning a three-place grid penalty that prevented him from lining up on the front row of the grid.
Lance Stroll finally returned to the points, driving through the pack expertly after extending his first stint for as long as possible.
However, Tsunoda admitted he was left surprised by how quick McLaren star Lando Norris was around Imola.
Off the back of his maiden Formula 1 victory, Norris was chasing back-to-back wins and came within a second of Max Verstappen as he took the chequered flag.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration
Yuki Tsunoda left surprised by Lando Norris’s pace at Imola
In the last 12 months, McLaren have become the experts in the paddock at nailing their upgrade packages.
Piastri and Norris finished in the bottom four in Miami last season, but a year later Norris is now a Formula 1 race winner and has 17 podiums to his name and his less experienced teammate has made huge strides forward.
Red Bull haven’t had any genuine competition since 2021 but it could now be argued that three teams are aiming for victories at every race.
Ferrari’s first major upgrade package increased the gap to the likes of Mercedes and Aston Martin without truly threatening their closest rivals.
However, in the final laps of the race at Imola Norris looked unstoppable and Tsunoda admitted that he had the best seat in the house to watch his battle with Verstappen play out.
READ MORE: Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
Lando Norris is Max Verstappen’s nearest rival in his quest for a 4th F1 title
Reviewing the race, Tsunoda said: “To be honest, I just watched the race highlights. I saw the last couple of laps, Lando [Norris and Max [Verstappen] were very close.
“Actually, I got lapped by them so I saw a little bit of it closely and I didn’t expect the McLaren to have that much pace and the Red Bull was struggling as much as we saw.
“I was a bit surprised, well maybe not too surprised because McLaren has been performing well since two races before and they just keep progressing every race so it was good to watch from inside.”
Max Verstappen still has a 48-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship, but it’s Lando Norris who is making a charge to catch the Dutchman.
The pair have occupied the top two spots on the podium at the past three Grand Prix and even though Leclerc hasn’t finished a race below 4-place this season, he no longer looks like the 26-year-old most likely rival this year.
Sunday’s race in Monte Carlo will almost certainly be decided by what happens in qualifying the previous day.
Max Verstappen produced one of the laps of his life in 2023 to secure pole position and might need to repeat that feat to stay ahead of McLaren in their special Senna-styled liveries this time around.
The post ‘A bit surprised’: Yuki Tsunoda admits he didn’t expect 17-podium driver to be as fast as he was at Imola appeared first on F1 Oversteer.