Yuki Tsunoda criticises 285-point driver for ‘nothing-to-lose approach’ in Azerbaijan Grand Prix

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Yuki Tsunoda was left ruing a second DNF in a row when he was forced to retire from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix following contact on track.

The Japanese driver was battling with Lance Stroll on the opening lap of the Azerbaijan GP when the Aston Martin driver made an optimistic lunge up the inside of Turn 4.

As Yuki Tsunoda turned in to take the apex, he collided with Stroll’s front left wheel which punctured a hole in his right sidepod. Initially, it looked like there was not a lot of damage, but the hole worsened and started to cost Tsunoda a significant amount of performance.

After he was passed by Lando Norris, who was recovering up the field after a shock qualifying exit, RB eventually told Tsunoda to let his teammate Daniel Ricciardo through to fight for the top 10 places.

The team then told him to retire three laps after his pit stop due to the extensive damage on his car. After the race, Tsunoda laid the blame on Stroll for the collision when speaking in the official team press release.

Yuki Tsunoda lays blame at Lance Stroll for race-ending crash

It is the second time Tsunoda has been forced to retire for a collision that was not his fault, having also made contact with Nico Hulkenberg at Monza.

The stewards elected not to investigate Stroll, who failed to add to his 285 career points when he was also forced to retire after 48 laps with floor damage, but the RB driver later criticised him for his approach to racing.

“It felt like an unnecessary move from him [Stroll]. Sending it in like that, with a nothing-to-lose approach,” said Tsunoda.

“I’m not sure what he had to gain, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. It was a shame, not the way I wanted to end my race, but we’ll come back strong in Singapore.”

RB considering replacing Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson

Tsunoda has secured his short-term with RB having signed an extension that takes him through 2025 with his latest contract.

His teammate for next season has been the subject of much speculation, given that Daniel Ricciardo is underperforming and not scoring enough points each race.

Liam Lawson is likely to be the candidate for the seat, with Ted Kravitz confirming that RB is currently assessing its options ahead of the Singapore GP.

Helmut Marko said an update will come over the Singapore weekend, having previously stated that Lawson would be in line for a drive in a Red Bull car next year.