F1 News: Yuki Tsunoda Photo Shows AlphaTauri Driver Hit Rock Bottom - FIA Under Fire
A photo has been revealed to social media of Yuki Tsunoda looking incredibly down-beaten after the Spanish Grand Prix yesterday. Fans have been reacting to the moment, hitting out at the FIA for the Japanese driver's penalty.
The AlphaTauri driver was left seething after receiving a 5-second penalty post his on-track face-off with Alfa Romeo's Zhou Guanyu. His defensive move against the Chinese driver, resulting in a penalty, incensed Tsunoda.
On the 56th lap of the race in Barcelona, Tsunoda defended his position from Zhou at Turn 1, who subsequently left the track and rejoined ahead at Turn 3. This punishment pushed Tsunoda down from the top 10 to 12th place, advancing Zhou to 9th and earning him points.
Tsunoda commented on the penalty after the race, explaining:
“It was a ridiculous penalty and it feels really unfair.
“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.
“I just heard and after chequered flag, which I was really happy. But after that radio, I was really disappointed.
“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.”
Fans have shared a photo of the driver sat on the floor in the paddock being consoled by the AlphaTauri team to Reddit. They captioned the photo:
"Yuki after the race today."
One fan reacted to the post, writing:
"Been watching Yuki on the driver cam much more recently as he’s become my kids fav. He’s overcome his rough edges over the last year and now he’s driving well above that ATs limit.
"If ever there was a reason for his $$ $$* expletives, today was a day for that. Awful penalty."
Another fan disagreed with the decision to give Tsunoda a penalty, commenting:
"He didn’t deserve a penalty for that"
Someone else blasted the FIA for not being consistent, writing:
"That penalty to me seemed harsh, especially in a world where George wasn't penalised for T1 but hey when have the stewards or the race director ever been consistent, really hard break for Yuki"
Other fans were taking the opportunity to write messages of support and encouragement for the driver.
The next race weekend is set for 16 - 18 June in Canada, where Tsunoda will be looking to secure some more points.