F1 News: Yuki Tsunoda Livid After Penalty - "Ridiculous Penalty!"

Tsunoda is incredibly unhappy with his penalty today which sees him move from P9 to P12.

Yuki Tsunoda, this year's Mr Consistency at AlphaTauri, was fuming after he learnt of his 5-second punishment following his battle with Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu. A move he made, defending his place from the Chinese driver, resulted in an "unjust penalty" for Tsunoda, who was more than angry with the result after the race. 

Lap 56 saw the Japanese driver defend his place against Zhou who was trying to pass the AlphaTauri on the outside of Turn 1. Before the move was one, Zhou pulled away from his competitor, leaving the track and rejoining further up towards Turn 3. 

“It was a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair,” said Tsunoda to press after the race. “When I saw [Zhou coming], I left the room and I feel like he just gave up in the early stages. 

“He went outside and pretended like he got forced out, but he didn’t. Definitely, there was still space outside. 

"I gave him pressure but there’s still space, so I don’t understand why it was a penalty. It feels really unfair, really harsh.”

He continued:

“I just heard and after chequered flag, which I was really happy. But after that radio, I was really disappointed,” he said.

“At the same time, [I felt] a bit curious… It is good to have a bit of discussion with the FIA because they give five seconds without any discussion and the race is over.

“So, it feels unfair. [I feel] exhausted, flat.”

AlphaTauri finished the Spanish GP without scoring any points in the Spanish Grand Prix, further compounding his frustrations. With a P14 finish from Tsunoda's teammate, Nyck de Vries, the team's presence in the Constructors’ standings remains at a meagre P9 after seven rounds.

With Tsunoda's penalty, he drops from the top 10 to P12, giving Zhou his P9 and his points. We'll see if AlphaTauri fights back against this punishment, which many fans joining Tsunoda in the complaints after the race.