While Tsunoda was “satisfied” with his home performance, he regretted the expensive start.

Setting off with two race cars from home to break into the top ten, RB was hopeful of scoring decent points heading into the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. But things did not go as planned. Yuki Tsunoda only managed to secure one point, while Daniel Ricciardo fell back in the final stages, ultimately finishing in 13th place.

From the start, the team made things more difficult than necessary as both Tsunoda and Ricciardo dropped two positions at the beginning of the race. This meant the Japanese driver was quickly stuck behind Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas team, forcing the team to pit earlier than planned.

When Hülkenberg pitted, Tsunoda’s pace on the hard tires was sufficient to surpass the Haas, which eventually earned RB a single point. But it was a hard-fought point, with Tsunoda being forced to make his hard tires last an incredible 50 laps.

“In the end, I’m happy I scored a point in front of the home crowd and people from the factory,” said Tsunoda.

“I think our start slightly impacted our race as we lost a few positions to Nico (Hülkenberg). He was fast on the straights, so we didn’t want to be stuck behind him, which is why we pitted earlier than planned, ahead of him.

“That was the crucial moment of the race, and I think we managed the strategy well and responded correctly to Nico. This meant we had to go a long way on the second stint and managing the hard tires in the final 15 laps was challenging, but the team managed it well, which was positive. The start is the main area we need to improve.”

Tsunoda has now scored points in four of the last five Grands Prix, as well as the Miami sprint race. This impressive form means he remains 10th in the driver standings, ahead of Lance Stroll. His qualifying performance has also been strong, with Tsunoda often reaching Q3, giving him plenty of reasons to stay optimistic for the Monaco race.

As for Ricciardo, he also struggled when offline—and he wasn’t quite sure what would happen when the lights went out. It turned out that giving up those two positions was crucial, as he spent most of the race affected in the DRS queue.

Despite some faster cars recovering from poor qualifying, such as Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, points are always tricky in a race with only one retiree.

“From my point of view, there was nothing wrong (at the start), you can tell if it’s your fault from the way you release the clutch, you’re very clear when it’s your fault,” the Australian said afterward. “I didn’t feel there was anything wrong, so yes, let’s wait and see, but as a team, we need to solve this issue. We just lack consistency, and that will immediately cost you points.”

Ricciardo has yet to score in a Grand Prix, but at least he earned some points from the Miami Sprint, where he scored 5 points. This puts him 14th in the driver standings, narrowly behind Haas’ Hulkenberg, RB’s main rival this season.