An upset Yuki Tsunoda deliberately reclaimed his position from his teammate after the Bahrain Grand Prix concluded. Tsunoda braked late as he passed Daniel Ricciardo on the inside at turn eight while returning to the pits after the race, then closely followed Ricciardo as they approached turn nine.
Ricciardo was taken aback by Tsunoda’s move, expressing his surprise with explicit language. “What the fuck?” Ricciardo exclaimed as Tsunoda overtook him. “Oh, save it.”
Tsunoda had shown his discontent earlier in the race when instructed to yield to Ricciardo. The duo trailed Kevin Magnussen at the time, with Tsunoda on hard tires and Ricciardo on softs.
Ricciardo advocated for a positional swap, pointing out to the team: “Whatever advantage I have, we lose it.” Subsequently, the team informed them: “We will do driver swap this lap.”
Tsunoda reacted with frustration to relinquishing 13th place to his teammate. After allowing Ricciardo to pass, he sarcastically thanked the team, saying: “Yeah, thanks guys, I appreciate it.”
When asked about Tsunoda’s actions after the race, Ricciardo remarked, “I don’t know. I came on the radio and was trying to stay cool.” He further commented on Tsunoda’s behavior, attributing it to immaturity.
Ricciardo emphasized that they had discussed the possibility of him using soft tires toward the end of the race before the race began. Therefore, Tsunoda should have anticipated the situation and accepted the team’s decision.
