RB racer Yuki Tsunoda has acknowledged the need for improvement after expressing frustration towards his team and teammate Daniel Ricciardo during the recent Bahrain Grand Prix.
Tsunoda’s frustration stemmed from a request from the pit wall to allow Ricciardo to pass him in the closing stages of the race. Ricciardo, on a different strategy with a fresh set of soft tires for the final stint, needed to clear Tsunoda quickly to attack Kevin Magnussen and potentially Zhou Guanyu in the final laps.
However, Tsunoda did not immediately comply with the team’s instruction, leading to his delayed response and subsequent clear expression of dissatisfaction post-race.
During the cool-down lap, Tsunoda made a bold move, locking his brakes as he attempted to pass Ricciardo at Turn 8, narrowly avoiding contact with the Australian on the corner exit. Ricciardo finished 13th in the race, with Tsunoda behind in 14th place.
The incident was particularly concerning given the ongoing competition between both drivers for a potential spot at Red Bull Racing for the 2025 season.
Tsunoda acknowledged the importance of controlling his emotions in the car and recognized the potential impact it could have on his prospects for the upcoming season.
“Definitely, it’s the thing I have to improve, for sure,” he said. “I mean, if I do those things again, for sure, it will be more issues.
“These are things I have to improve, mainly, so I’m working on it. [I] Need more than two steps, you know, not just like one step. I have confidence I can prove that and it’s up to them [Red Bull Racing] if they want me or not.”
Shortly after admitting there were areas in which he could learn from Daniel Ricciardo within the team, Tsunoda’s outburst occurred, highlighting a contrast in behavior.
Tsunoda had previously emphasized the importance of remaining calm on the radio and providing more constructive feedback, citing these as key areas for improvement.
However, when asked about his efforts to address his weaknesses, Tsunoda’s response lacked substance. Instead, he suggested that the television broadcast singled him out due to his radio outbursts.
He conceded: “It’s still a learning process and probably what I showed in Sunday was opposite – or Saturday. But just keep reminding myself just before I jump into the car, no pressing radio.
“I think they love to pick myself, to be honest, in those radio. Yeah, I mean, probably… I’m not that shouty as it looks in the radio on the TV.
“I don’t know. The more I say it’s going to be worse. I’m just going to say I just try my best to improve and you will see in the track from this race onwards.”
After the post-race discussion in Bahrain, described by Ricciardo as significant and fruitful, Tsunoda now acknowledges that he made a mistake in the heat of the moment.
When questioned about whether the incident during the cool-down lap was a manifestation of his frustration with the team orders he received, he said: “At that moment, yes.
“But in the end, I understand what they’re saying. And yeah, I think that’s it. Obviously, it wasn’t an easy race in the end. So that I think that’s it.
“We talked about it after the race with all the team, and we’re still unified. We’re on the same page now, we understand each other. So, yeah, I think that’s it, really.”
