BAHRAIN — Daniel Ricciardo criticised RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda’s “immaturity” after they narrowly prevented a collision on the cool-down lap, which adopted the conclusion of the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was comfortably gained by Max Verstappen.
On the lap again to the pits after racing had completed, Tsunoda divebombed down the within of Ricciardo’s automobile at Flip 8, locking up closely within the course of.
– Unlapped: How one can hear or watch ESPN’s F1 present
Tsunoda then whizzed previous Ricciardo’s automobile on the exit of the nook, lacking by a matter of inches.
Ricciardo had been altering settings on his dashboard and solely had one hand on the wheel when Tsunoda drove previous.
“What the f—?! I am going to put it aside. He is a f—ing helmet!” an irate Ricciardo stated on the staff radio after the incident.
Tsunoda had been upset at RB’s determination to implement staff orders and have its drivers swap positions, venting over the radio, “Are you kidding me now?”
Since his debut in 2021, Tsunoda has developed a hot-headed status, with that notion recognized to be one of many causes Crimson Bull’s Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are reluctant to advertise him to the corporate’s senior staff.
Ricciardo had clearly calmed down by the point he reached the media pen shortly afterwards.
Requested if he had talked to Tsunoda earlier than speaking to the press, Ricciardo stated: “I am going to let him quiet down. We all know what he is like. Clearly throughout the second he is very… that is Yuki.
“I am OK. I am considering long-term. It is a lengthy season, so we want to have the ability to work collectively, so I am not going to return in there with an indignant angle. It is simply we’ve to be very sincere and reasonable that it ought to’ve occurred after they referred to as it.”
Tsunoda didn’t instantly comply with the staff order, solely doing it on the lap after he had been requested. Ricciardo stated he, Tsunoda and the staff mentioned earlier than the race the potential of a swap if that situation had performed out because it did.
“I got here on the radio and was making an attempt to remain cool. A little bit of immaturity, for instance that,” Ricciardo stated to F1 TV of his teammate. “I am being very wise proper now, however let’s name it immaturity. He is clearly annoyed with the staff orders name.
“However let’s be actual, that is one thing we talked about earlier than the race. It was very seemingly I used to be going to make use of a mushy on the finish of the race.
“So he knew that there was an opportunity that I might have a tempo benefit on the finish and if he will get the decision, then it will occur.
“He is not giving me factors, we’re preventing for thirteenth, so a minimum of give us the perfect probability to get a minimum of one automobile within the factors.”
“It is a lengthy 12 months and we want to ensure we’re all good, so we’ll return, have a gathering and be very mature about it, and stay up for Jeddah.”
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix takes place in Jeddah subsequent Saturday, March 9.