Tsunoda walks away from a heavy crash which worried his F1 teammate Verstappen

IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Even Max Verstappen was surprised his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was able to walk away from a heavy crash in qualifying for Formula 1’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday.

Tsunoda clipped the curb on the inside of a left-hand corner in his Red Bull car and spun into the barrier. The car rolled upside down before landing on its wheels, and the session was stopped.

Tsunoda walked away from the incident and went to the medical center.

“At first I asked (over the radio) if he’s OK, and I heard, ‘Yeah, he’s OK,’ but then I saw the replay. I’m like, ‘Jesus, is he really OK?’” Verstappen recalled. “It was a big impact, a lot of damage as well, but most important is that Yuki’s OK.”

Tsunoda returned to the paddock and offered the team an apology. He said he’d been pushing too hard, too early in the qualifying session.

“I’m very frustrated (with) myself and I can only apologize to the team that I just put in a very unnecessary stressful moment until tomorrow, for the mechanics especially,” Tsunoda told broadcaster Sky Sports.

The Japanese driver hadn’t set a time when he crashed, so he’s set to start Sunday’s race in last place, assuming the car can be repaired in time.

The first session of qualifying resumed a few minutes later after the track was cleared and the barriers were examined, but was soon red-flagged again due to another crash by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, who was likewise unhurt.

Oscar Piastri took pole position for McLaren, ahead of Verstappen.

Tsunoda is in his fifth race weekend since being promoted to the main Red Bull team from Racing Bulls in March in place of Liam Lawson.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing