F1 News: Yuki Tsunoda Almost Missed Las Vegas After Intense US Customs Encounter

Saajan Jogia | Nov 21, 2024

May 5, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; RB driver Daniel Ricciardo (3) and RB racing driver Yuki Tsunoda (22) walk in the F1 Village before the F1 Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda revealed his scary ordeal with the border control in Las Vegas while entering the USA. The Japanese driver was interrogated for two to three hours before being allowed to enter. Tsunoda feared that he would be sent back to his home country.

The United States is known for its stringent border control, but Tsunoda chose not to elaborate on why he was questioned. Fortunately, after an extended discussion, he was permitted to proceed. Tsunoda found the experience odd, particularly as this was his second visit to Las Vegas for the Grand Prix. He encountered no issues during his earlier trips to the U.S., including the recent United States Grand Prix in Austin and the Miami race earlier this season.

Tsunoda arrived in the United States well ahead of schedule to fulfill promotional duties alongside championship leader Max Verstappen. The situation may have been complicated by the fact that he was traveling with his physio instead of his team. Despite his requests for the agents to contact his physio or allow him to reach out to someone from his team to verify his identity as a Formula 1 driver, the official in charge refused to accommodate these requests. Describing his tense encounter, Tsunoda said:

"Luckily, they let me in after a couple of discussions.

"Well, a lot of discussions, actually. But yeah, I nearly got sent back home. Everything is all good, so I'm here now."

"I did the visas and everything. It's been the same the last three tracks, right? I was able to enter smoothly at the previous track [Circuit of the Americas].

"Felt a bit strange that I got stopped and had a proper discussion. Luckily, it didn't go on more than two or three hours.

"It's not the first time we've come here this year. I heard a lot of things, but hopefully that is all well in the future - and smoothly."

He added:

"There was my physio I travel with, but when you go through customs, you go individually.

"He [the border control agent] put me in a room and we had a conversation."

Tsunoda added he wasn't allowed to contact anyone while he was kept in that room. He said:

"'Can I bring the person who I've travelled with? Maybe he can help a little bit to explain bit more about myself and the situation that I'm a Formula 1 [driver].

"But they didn't allow me. [They] didn't allow that, for me to bring that friend - or even call anyone.

"I wanted to call to the team as well, or Formula 1, maybe that person can help me, but in that room, you can't do anything."

Tsunoda speculated that arriving in the USA dressed in pajamas might have caused the border agent to question whether he was truly a Formula 1 driver. He continued:

"Maybe. I was wearing pyjamas, so maybe I didn't look like an F1 driver.

"I'm sure he [the customs officer] knew it," he added. "Having the conversation, he even he asked me the salary and everything. 

"[It's an] uncomfortable thing, just feels like the things that I got a lot of pressure from them for, I couldn't say anything.

"If I say something, I feel like I'm in more in trouble. Hopefully all things [are] solved. Luckily, I went through smoothly [in the end]."