Explained: Why Yuki Tsunoda was given a reprimand after F1 Belgian GP Sprint shootout

F1 Grand Prix of Belgium - Practice & Sprint Qualifying - Source: Getty
Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Oracle Red Bull Racing - Source: Getty

Following the conclusion of the 2025 Belgian GP Sprint shootout, the FIA reprimanded Yuki Tsunoda for driving unnecessarily slowly. The F1 governing body, stating the same, issued a statement and warned the Red Bull driver.

Ad

Formula 1 is in Belgium for the 13th race weekend of the season, and the venue will host the third Sprint. On Friday, after the Free Practice, the drivers got down to business to find the grid line-up for Saturday's Sprint through SQ1, SQ2, and SQ3.

However, the Sprint shootout session was far from smooth for Tsunoda, as he not only failed to make it to SQ3 but also received a reprimand. The FIA shared its explanation on Tsunoda's conduct. Here's what it stated:

Ad
"The driver of Car 22 misjudged the delta time, stating that he thought he would "make the time" but in this case he did not. Consistent with previous incidents of a similar nature, a penalty of Reprimand is imposed."
"Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal certain decisions of the Stewards, in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits," the statement further added.
Ad

Here's the statement on Yuki Tsunoda by the FIA:

Ad

Oscar Piastri of McLaren claimed the pole ahead of Max Verstappen of Red Bull. Piastri was nearly five-tenths faster than Verstappen, and over six-tenths faster than his teammate, Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon wrapped up the Top 5. Tsunoda, on the other hand, qualified in P12, with 1:42.184 on the timesheet. He will start ahead of George Russell and behind Liam Lawson.


Yuki Tsunoda let his feelings known on reuniting with Laurent Mekies

Yuki Tsunoda shared his thoughts on reuniting with Laurent Mekies, who was his boss at Racing Bulls. Speaking about this, here's what the Japanese driver said during the ongoing Belgian GP:

Ad
"Laurent Mekies says that he missed me. So that's very cute. I've known him since VCARB and we've got on really well. We had a good start to the year in terms of performance, with lots of trust. I'm looking forward to working with him."

Tsunoda and Mekies will work together again after Red Bull promoted him as the Austrian team's boss. The move came after the Milton Keynes-based team sacked Christian Horner last month. Tsunoda and Mekies previously worked together until Red Bull promoted Tsunoda to become Verstappen's teammate.

Quick Links

Edited by Rupesh
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications