Tsunoda apologises for comments suggesting he and Gasly run different equipment after Q1 exit

Yuki Tsunoda has taken to Twitter to apologise for his comments after appearing to question whether he and AlphaTauri team mate Pierre Gasly receive the same equipment, in the wake of his early exit from qualifying in Spain.

Tsunoda cut a frustrated figure throughout Saturday, first being told to "calm down" by his race engineer after an outburst in FP3 and then reacting furiously on team radio after he was eliminated in P16 during Q1, saying: “I can’t ******* believe this car!”

READ MORE: What To Watch For in the Spanish GP: Tsunoda with a point to prove and four more talking points

And after the session, when asked if he could explain where he was losing out, he added: “It’s always different feedback compared to my team mate, even when we try the opposite. I have a little bit question mark if it is the same car - of course it’s the same car, but just the character of the car is just too different.

“Maybe, of course, it’s a different driving style. But yeah, I don’t know, I don’t understand what happened, why I’m struggling this much.”

Later in the evening the 20-year-old Japanese rookie went on social media and Tweeted an apology.

The Tweet read: "I wanted to apologize for my comments today. I didn’t mean to criticize the team who have done a great job all weekend. I was just frustrated with my performance. Full send tomorrow."

Tsunoda sits 13th in the Championship, in front of Kimi Raikkonen, ahead of Sunday's Grand Prix. His team mate Pierre Gasly - who will line up in P12 - has scored seven points – five more than the rookie – and is 10th in the standings.

Saturday saw Lewis Hamilton take his 100th career pole position over Max Verstappen as the title race continues to heat up.