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Yuki Tsunoda revealed that he shut himself in his room after the unfortunate accident in the Mexican Grand Prix, hampering his chances of finishing in the top 5.
AlphaTauri were having their best race of the season so far, with both their drivers racing in points. Daniel Ricciardo had managed to qualify P4 and was racing at P6, with his teammate Tsunoda down at P8 despite starting P18. The race looked opportunistic for the team, however, on lap 49, Yuki Tsunoda bumped into Oscar Piastri on turn 1, turned into him, and spun around, similar to Sergio Perez's contact on the opening lap. Tsunoda went down to P16 and could only finish the race at P12. His frustration was obvious as seen from his on-board camera.
Talking to the media ahead of the Brazilian GP, Yuki Tsunoda mentioned his frustration after the race as he failed to score points for the team. Motorsport.com quoted him as saying:
"I was really frustrated after the race because I lost the opportunity to score points for the team. I was having a good race until then. So, I really had massive frustration and actually, it was hard to digest that frustration on that day."
He was optimistic for a P5 finish in the race but that unfortunately did not happen. He further revealed that he locked himself in his room after the race owing to his disappointment.
"Normally, Mexico, you can enjoy. I actually canceled everything and just stayed in the room. It was a big moment, and it was an opportunity… P5 was definitely possible."
Despite his P12 finish, AlphaTauri scored the most points from a race so far this season. Daniel Ricciardo brought home a P7 finish, and now the team sits in eighth position in the standings, tied with Alfa Romeo at 16 points.
Yuki Tsunoda addresses his aggressiveness on the team radio
The Japanese driver is known for his temper during races. Ever since he joined the grid, there have been multiple instances where he has been heard shouting back at his race engineer on the radio.
However, as he has matured, there have been fewer moments of rage during races and other sessions on the track. Even after the incident in Mexico, he did not blame anyone for it and kept driving. Speaking to Race Fans in a recent interview, Yuki Tsunoda elaborated on the issues that he faces while he's on the radio. He can't hear himself in the car and thus speaks loudly, not realizing that he can be heard properly. He further said:
"Sometimes, my radio is quite shouty. It’s not because I’m angry. I’m not just really used to, at least not yet, talking on the radio while I’m driving."
"You can’t hear much what you’re saying. I feel like I have to speak loud to reach the radio, but the radio’s literally here. So I always forget this."
Yuki Tsunoda is currently partnered with Daniel Ricciardo for AlphaTauri after the latter's return to the Formula 1 grid, replacing Nyck de Vries mid-season in the team. The team has extended the contracts for both drivers for the 2024 season as well, with Liam Lawson on reserve duties.
