Why Monza has been second time unlucky for Lawson and Tsunoda

Following their impressive performances at Zandvoort, both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda faced a challenging weekend at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. While expectations were high for the Racing Bulls duo to build on their momentum, the reality of the high-speed Monza circuit proved difficult for both drivers. Liam Lawson, hampered by power unit penalties that forced him to the back of the grid, struggled during qualifying after failing to execute his team role of providing a slipstream for Max Verstappen effectively. Lawson finished 13th, frustrated by traffic and an incident with Oscar Piastri, ultimately admitting that his preparation was compromised by the team's strategic focus on the race rather than qualifying performance. Yuki Tsunoda also had a difficult outing, qualifying 15th after a disappointing Q1 session where he trailed teammate Arvid Lindblad by over a second. Despite his efforts to adapt to Monza's unique energy management demands, Tsunoda expressed confusion regarding the significant pace deficit, noting that he felt he had not made major errors despite the stark difference in lap times. The team is currently working to analyze the data to understand the root cause of his performance struggles.