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Tsunoda lost control of his car when he rode the kerbs at the Variante Villeneuve and it lifted and flew sideways before turning upside down into a single barrel roll.
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan arrives for the first free practice at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy’s Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix, in Imola, Italy, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda walked away from an alarming high-speed crash at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday as he emerged unscathed from his RB21 machine that skid off the track and collided with the barriers.
He lost control of his Red Bull car when he rode the kerbs at the Variante Villeneuve and it lifted and flew sideways before turning upside down into a single barrel roll before skewing into the barriers.
The action resumed after a 12-minute interval to repair the circuit before another red flag in the final seconds of Q1 when returning rookie Franco Colapinto, replacing Jack Doohan for Alpine, crashed on the exit of Tamburello.
His car was badly damaged as he spun into the barriers nose-first, but he was unhurt and walked clear of the wreckage.
Thankfully, Yuki has been checked and released from the medical centre after undergoing precautionary checks.#F1 || #ImolaGP 🇮🇹— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 17, 2025
Verstappen topped the Q1 times ahead of Piastri and Alonso with Liam Lawson, of Racing Bulls, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and the two Haas cars of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman eliminated along with Tsunoda.
Bearman’s late cancelled time was declared to be ‘under review’ as Q2 was delayed, a decision that suggested he might be reinstated to replace Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto.
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Both sat in their cars waiting before the Brazilian drove alone to pit lane in anticipation. Two minutes later, Bearman conceded his place in Q2 and climbed out.
The first run saw McLaren back on top, two-tenths clear of Verstappen, before in a dramatic second Sainz went top and Aston Martin’s duo secured top-ten spots by eliminating both Ferraris.
“My God, oh My God, My God,” said Leclerc, who exited in 11th place along with Hamilton, 12th, Mercedes’ local boy Antonelli and Bortoleto.
The final shootout began with Piastri on top before Verstappen beat him by 0.049 on the first runs with Norris in P3 ahead of Russell and the impressive rookie Hadjar – but Piastri came back to take pole on his second flying lap.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
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