Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda put the disputes from Bahrain behind them and settled the matter after the race. “We talked about it with the entire team after the race and are now on the same page,” confirms Tsunoda. “We understand each other.”
At the start of the season there was a dispute between the two Racing Bulls colleagues in the final phase. Tsunoda should let Ricciardo pass, who should have a chance on soft tires to attack Kevin Magnussen and his twelfth place – in Ricciardo’s opinion the Japanese did that too late.
Although the Australian didn’t make it past the Haas, he still didn’t let his teammate pass again before the finish line. Tsunoda was very angry and almost drove into his colleague’s car on the run-off lap. “What the hell is wrong…?” Ricciardo commented on the radio, but didn’t want to clarify this with the team until later.
Tsunoda himself had previously exchanged places with the words “Are you kidding me?” commented and now admits: “I was a bit hotheaded. There are a few heated moments in my brain.”
“I let him pass, but only one lap later, and that was the thing,” said the Japanese. “In the end the team thought they would have a better chance and I respect that.”
After the race, the new team boss Laurent Mekies went straight to Tsunoda and had a long conversation with him in which both sides were discussed. “He definitely calmed me down in the race and helped me get in the right direction,” he says. “Now I feel fresh and just keep going.”
He now understands what the team wanted and emphasizes that he will “100 percent” handle it better if there is another team instruction this weekend.
Ricciardo: Pronunciation was important
Meanwhile, Ricciardo tried to keep calm and hold back on the radio, even if he let out a swear word (“fucking helmet”). “I knew everything would be broadcast and that someone would pick it up,” he says. “I said a few things, but also tried to save it for the briefing.”
“At the end of the race, when there are a few frustrations and when you’re exhausted, then sometimes you might do a few things that are a little out of character. I try to take that into account too,” he shows a little understanding.
“But it was important that we spoke after the race. After the technical briefing, we had a small private briefing and spoke out,” confirms Ricciardo. “That was important to Yuki, and I had to do it. Because it’s also important for the team to know that we won’t have any problems with each other in the future.”
Ricciardo emphasizes: Trust Yuki next time
Because if you hadn’t spoken out, there could be doubts about whether you could trust the other person with the next instruction. And Ricciardo emphasizes: “There is trust.”
The scene on the run-off lap is one thing, “but things like that happen in the race situation. It’s not the first time that there have been delays in changing places. We have new people at the command post and something like that can happen in the first race,” he said the Australian. “We’re not perfect yet, but there’s no problem anymore.”
The team duel at the Racing Bulls is explosive this year simply because both drivers may be fighting for a chance at Red Bull. Of course, letting the other driver pass and falling behind 0-1 in the team duel is not what a driver wants.
Is Tsunoda ruining his Red Bull chance?
Still, the question is whether Tsunoda won’t spoil his future with the Bulls if there are still what he described as “heated moments” in his brain. Because at the top of Formula 1 you need a certain level of calm – and not over-zealousness.
“Yeah, definitely, I need to improve on that,” Tsunoda admits. “If I do something like that again, it will only lead to more problems. I know these are the main things I need to improve, but I’m working on it.”
But: “What I showed on Saturday was the opposite,” he admits. “I always tell myself before I get in the car, ‘Don’t press the radio button,’ but I think they like to single me out when they do that. It’s not like I’m screaming, even though it always comes across that way.”
“But the more I say, the worse it gets. So all I’m saying is that I’m doing my best to improve. And you’ll see that on the track from now on.”
As for the place at Red Bull, he knows: “It’s up to them whether they want me or not.”