Tsunoda fuming at teammate Lawson after qualifying clash
Yuki Tsunoda didn’t hold back after his early exit from qualifying on Saturday, pointing the finger squarely at his teammate Liam Lawson.
The frustrated Japanese driver claimed Lawson deliberately slowed him down during Q2.
“I think without that, I would have been in Q3,” Tsunoda fumed over team radio. “So far, I just can’t have a normal qualifying; it’s really frustrating, but it is what it is.”
According to Tsunoda, his VCARB teammate was “slowing down like hell in the corners” and did it “on purpose.”
Lawson seemed genuinely puzzled by the accusations when asked about them later.
“Honestly I have absolutely no idea what he has to complain about,” the New Zealander said. “I don’t really remember being in front of him in qualifying today.”
He shrugged off his teammate’s anger with remarkable cool.
“He’s obviously angry. He can be angry but it doesn’t bother me.”
The tension comes at a crucial time for both drivers, who are fighting to secure their F1 futures.
Lawson narrowly missed scoring points in Saturday’s Sprint race, finishing ninth. He’ll start Sunday’s Grand Prix from 12th on the grid.
Despite the qualifying drama, he remains optimistic about his race chances.
“We’re not far away from points, but obviously we have to overtake,” Lawson explained.
The rookie driver acknowledged the challenge ahead, pointing to a season-long issue in Formula 1.
“It’s been a season that’s very, very tough for overtaking. All of our good results have come from very strong qualifying, which is obviously what we would have hoped for, but we’ll try and make some work tomorrow.”
Lawson believes the car has decent race pace, but that might not be enough.
“I think we have a good race car. It’s just you need a decent pace advantage which nobody really has at the moment. It’s great for the sport to have close racing like this. Frustrating for us because we don’t overtake cars but let’s see tomorrow.”
With both VCARB drivers battling for position on and off track, Sunday’s race could further intensify their rivalry.
