How Yuki Tsunoda Got Half of His $43,000 Fine Suspended

Yuki Tsunoda invited a world of problems for himself after making derogatory comments during Qualifying in the Austrian GP weekend. Found guilty of making an ‘ableist’ comment, the stewards felt that imposing a $43,000 fine would be a fair punishment. However, that amount was later halved.

Tsunoda used the word ret*rd on the team radio. All because a Sauber overtook him in the pitlane while he was queueing up for a Q1 run. Known for his verbal attacks on the radio, Tsunoda let out his anger in an unfortunate manner, followed by his race engineer trying to control the situation by saying, “Don’t worry there’s plenty of time.” 

The stewards, however, were convinced by Tsunoda showing remorse. English isn’t his first language and Tsunoda insisted that he wasn’t fully aware of what the word meant. Upon learning its definition, the 24-year-old was upset at having used such a derogatory curse word.

Officials trusted Tsunoda and decided to be lenient with him, which is why his fine amount was halved. The Japanese driver, meanwhile, took to social media to make a public apology for his words.

Yuki Tsunoda issues a public apology for his ableist outburst

Drawing immense criticism for his comments, Tsunoda took to his Instagram and X accounts to show how much he regretted what happened.

“l wanted to say big apologies for what I said in the radio today. Obviously I didn’t use it intentionally and was completely misunderstanding from myself that exact meaning of it.”

Tsunoda stated that the kind of language he used has no place, discouraging others from even contemplating saying what he said. As such, he rues giving it a platform through the reach he has as an F1 driver.