Yuki Tsunoda has claimed that rumours surrounding the Red Bull group are “tradition” amid Liam Lawson’s nightmare weekend in the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
Lawson endured a disastrous maiden outing with the parent Red Bull team as, having missed FP3, he rued several mistakes which consigned him to a Q1 elimination.
The New Zealander’s anguish was compounded in the race as he struggled to progress until a spin on a damp track brought a premature end to a miserable weekend.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda thrived in the Racing Bulls as he qualified fifth – two tenths behind Max Verstappen – and was running in the top five until a botched strategic call.
Tsunoda’s exploits prompted McLaren CEO Zak Brown to express that Red Bull commits to “strange driver choices” regarding its decision to promote Lawson instead.
But although he valued Brown’s comment, Tsunoda pinpointed that he is accustomed to speculation swirling about changes in the Red Bull stable across a campaign.
“I appreciate what Zak said to me in the press, but it’s just one race,” Tsunoda told media including Motorsport Week.
“These things have been going on since last year [after the] first race. Daniel [Ricciardo to replace] Checo [Perez], myself [to replace] Checo, Liam [to replace] Checo.
“It’s a bit of a tradition for our group. It’s positive but at the same time, I just have to keep [doing] what I’m doing.
“In the end, they chose this line-up last year at the end of the season. Maybe they have a clear plan for the future, I don’t know.”
Tsunoda explains Racing Bulls blunder
Tsunoda had passed Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari to reclaim his original starting place when a rain shower descended on the Albert Park Circuit which unravelled his race.
Racing Bulls, like the side’s more established Italian counterparts, made a late switch to the Intermediates, culminating in Tsunoda slipping outside the points to 12th.
“It was hard for myself as well to monitor every single corner because every lap it kept changing,” he recalled.
“The lap before, sector one was not raining, but one lap later it was complete rain and we reacted too late.
“I don’t think I made a mistake, to be honest, in terms of communications and everything, I’m pretty happy with it.
“It just didn’t go the way we wanted. The Safety Car came out a lap after I pitted, which wasn’t bad.
“At the same time, we know what has happened, and the team apologised to me right after the race.”
READ MORE – Racing Bulls apologises to Yuki Tsunoda after F1 Australian GP blunder
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