Yuki Tsunoda was furious during the race as he had to let teammate Daniel Ricciardo pass according to team instructions. Even after the race, Tsunoda remained upset and nearly collided with Ricciardo.
The team asked Tsunoda to let Ricciardo pass assuming that he had a better chance of overtaking Kevin Magnussen. Despite initial resistance, Tsunoda eventually allowed Ricciardo to pass but Ricciardo also failed to pass Magnussen.
It was surprising that Ricciardo was not asked to pass Tsunoda again towards the end of the race, leading to frustration on Tsunoda’s part. He shouted over the on-board radio and the near collision with Ricciardo occurred post-race.
“I was outside the points and was about to overtake Magnussen, I was next to him on the straight,” Tsunoda mentioned later. “I understand the team’s perspective but I need to know their reasoning.”
“Ricciardo also couldn’t overtake Magnussen and it’s customary for positions to be switched back.”
“I was performing well, in the points, and then dropped back during the pit stops. It was a tough race but I’ll learn from it.”
“I believe the setback was more due to the strategy rather than the pit stops as the car was performing well. Perhaps better communication about tire updates could have enhanced the strategy’s effectiveness.”
Daniel was left unimpressed after the chequered flag #F1 # Formula 1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/buuONwnK8M
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 2, 2024