RB driver Yuki Tsunoda blamed Kevin Magnussen for the “frustrating” incident that caused his premature retirement from Formula 1’s Chinese Grand Prix last weekend.
Tsunoda bemoaned a potential point-scoring chance going to waste upon a restart period on Lap 27 when he sustained race-ending damage from Magnussen’s touch.
Magnussen had tried a late lunge up Tsunoda’s inside into Turn 5, but the Dane had a sudden snap that sent him towards the RB car and initiated front-to-rear contact.
The Haas driver was handed a 10-second time drop for the collision, with the FIA stewards having determined that Magnussen “braked late and collided” with Tsunoda.
Asked about the incident after the race, Tsunoda stated that it was “pretty clear” from his point of view that Magnussen was the one to be accountable for the collision.
“It’s pretty clear that he clips my rear and he just touched into me so, I mean, I couldn’t do anything much. I only didn’t have much space outside,” explained Tsunoda.
“So yeah, it’s very clear and unfortunate and I think it’s pretty frustrating how we ended up because it’s pretty good in terms of how I progressed until then.”
“After the Safety Car, the start was good and I gained five positions, so I feel I maximised what I could do but the pace itself hadn’t improved as much as we wanted.”
Magnussen also sustained a puncture but he was able to limp back to the pits and continue to the chequered flag, bringing his Haas car home in a distant 16th place.
Pressed to provide his view on the flashpoint with Tsunoda, Magnussen conceded it hadn’t been “our day, to be honest”, despite team-mate Nico Hulkenberg scoring.
China’s five-term hiatus due to implications regarding the COVID-19 pandemic meant that last weekend was Tsunoda’s maiden visit to the Shanghai International Circuit.
Besides the incident, Tsunoda had struggled to match more experienced team-mate Daniel Ricciardo throughout the weekend and slumped to consecutive Q1 exits.
RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies admitted it had been a “trickier” weekend for Tsunoda but acknowledged it was “going to be difficult to drive here during a Sprint weekend”.
