Yuki Tsunoda was left frustrated after early F1 Azerbaijan GP tangle with Lance Stroll, as both kind of blamed each other.
Having qualified outside the Top 10, the goal for Visa Cash App RB’s Tsunoda was to make it inside the Top 10 in F1 Azerbaijan GP. Crucially more because they are fighting Williams and Haas, who had both their cars ahead of them.
Tsunoda made a good start and was hanging with Aston Martin’s Stroll until a collision. The Canadian tried to take the racing line into Turn 4, but the Japanese driver turned in, leading to a clash. The stewards deemed it as a racing incident, with no one at fault.
But Tsunoda was quite frustrated to miss out again after suffering a hole on the sidepod. He tried to continue but was forced to retire eventually. “I’m not sure what he had to gain,” he said to media. “Very frustrated to have this happen two races in a row.
“A very short race, losing the opportunity to score points, which would still have been tricky, but you never know on these street races. Starting P12 is obviously not ideal and means there are a lot of risks of getting damage.
“We just need to step up a little bit and qualify in the top 10, so we can get a better start. In terms of what happened on track, it felt like an unnecessary move from him. Sending it in like that, with a nothing-to-lose approach. I’m not sure what he had to gain, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“It was a shame, not the way I wanted to end my race, but we’ll come back strong in Singapore,” summed up Tsunoda, with Stroll managing to continue on for more part until a late retirement due to issues with his brake pedal.
He was similar in putting the blame on his rival. “My race was pretty much over on the first lap when Tsunoda and I made contact,” said Stroll. “I dived down the inside – I’m not sure if he saw me or not – but he closed the door and I had to pit with a puncture.
“We’re all racing hard on the opening lap and these things happen, but it left us on the back foot for the rest of the race. With nine laps to go I started feeling an issue with the brake pedal and it was getting worse with each lap. This isn’t a circuit to take any risks at, and we were well out of the points positions, so it made sense to retire the car. It’s been a frustrating weekend, but I’m looking forward to Singapore.”
Here’s the collision: https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2024-azerbaijan-grand-prix-tsunoda-picks-up-race-ending-damage-in-lap-tangle-with-stroll.1810270298139732948
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Here’s how F1 Azerbaijan GP panned out
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