V-CARB F1 team suffered an embarrassing moment at the 2024 Bahrain GP, when Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo got caught up in a heated scene during the cool-down lap. However, after reflecting on the situation and calming down, Tsunoda has now issued a mature statement regarding the incident.
In the build-up to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the 23-year-old driver was asked about his post-race incident with teammate, Ricciardo. Formula1.com quoted him saying, “We are on the same page now. In the moment I was a bit heated. But in the end I still let him through.”
The drama started after the second round of pitstops. Ricciardo was on a different strategy to Tsunoda and was on the soft compound tires. V-CARB then ordered Tsunoda to swap places because he was on the slower hard compound. Already in a battle with Haas’ Kevin Magnussen right ahead of him, Tsunoda questioned the decision on the team radio.
He eventually yielded the place to Ricciardo but it was in vain, because Ricciardo himself couldn’t get past Magnussen. During the cool-down lap he seemingly vented his frustration by dive-bombing the Australian. In the process, he locked up and went off track, but nearly collided with Ricciardo upon rejoining.
Is Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo’s Bahrain bust-up a sign of things to come?
Tensions between Tsunoda and Ricciardo did not subside even after they left the car. In the post-race interview, the latter expressed his opinion that Tsunoda needs to calm down. F1oversteer.com quoted the Perth-born driver saying, “I’ll let him cool down. I mean, we know what he’s like. It’s obviously during the moment. He’s very… that’s, again, Yuki.”
Since then, the two have seemingly made peace and cleared the air. However, with the duo fighting for the coveted 2nd Red Bull seat this year, things are bound to heat up. With the benchmark clearly set, the driver who outperforms the other is most likely to get the call up from Helmut Marko and Co.
V-CARB, however, will be looking to avoid a repeat of what happened in Bahrain. If it happens again, it could mess up their races, especially since the team has made progress and is looking to fight for points on a more consistent basis this year.
