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Yuki Tsunoda life event between F1 races

Tsunoda reveals life event happened between races in Brazil and Las Vegas

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Yuki Tsunoda reports he has moved house between the Brazilian Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Formula 1 had two off weekends, separating the two triple headers, which will end the 2024 F1 season. The Japanese driver has also explained how he worked on the simulator to prepare for the upcoming Las Vegas Grand Prix.

"The slightly longer break since Brazil means I’ve had time to move house and I also had a couple of simulator sessions to prepare for this final triple-header of the season," Tsunoda said. "It’s an unusual track, very long for a street circuit, with mainly slow corners, so the car set-up is a compromise between having enough downforce to help with heavy braking at the end of the three long straights and to have good traction out of the turns, while also not having so much drag it affects your top speed on the very fast straights," the Japanese driver continued.

The event in Las Vegas takes place hours after sunset, so it will be quite cold. Tsunoda is aware of the challenge. "It gets very cold at night, so one of the main challenges is keeping the brakes and tyres in the right operating window on a long stint in the race and also on a flying lap in qualifying. Last year, there was plenty of off-track activity involving the drivers, so I’m interested to see what the organisers have planned for us this time!“

Why VCARB are prepared for an intense fight

In Brazil, Tsunoda ended a seven-event run without points. The VCARB driver took advantage of the conditions and finished seventh while his teammate Liam Lawson came ninth. Important points for VCARB as their rivals Alpine finished with both cars on the podium. This means Red Bull's sister team are engaged in a three-way fight for sixth place in the Constructors' Championship, with huge money at stake. Technical Director Jody Egginton is prepared for an intense duel.

"We now head to Las Vegas for the first leg of the final triple-header of the season with the battle for the Constructors’ Championship positions still very close. Following on from recent events, our expectation is to be very much in the midfield battle, fighting in what will be an intensive end to the season," he said. 

Meanwhile, Liam Lawson is "pumped" to make his Las Vegas debut. He came in to replace the ousted Daniel Ricciardo to finish the season at Visa Cash App RB. "I can’t wait to race in Vegas, it’s an iconic place, with a very unique track. It looks quite tricky with a lot of combined braking zones in places. It’s a fast track; obviously we drive down the strip with a very long straight, which allows for some overtaking. It looks like it’s going to be quite cold conditions, similar to last year, so it’s going to be a challenge for sure, but I’m super pumped to be racing under the lights. I was there last year watching and wishing I was driving, so it’s an exciting feeling going into the week knowing I’ll be in the car this time," the New Zealander added.