Yuki Tsunoda secured a solid result at the US GP, finishing P7 in both the race and Sprint. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and senior advisor Helmut Marko were bosh satisfied with his performance.
Tsunoda made up several places throughout the weekend, making bold overtakes to compensate for poor starting positions.
After making his first and only stop, the Japanese driver was on the defensive against Haas’ Oliver Bearman. Their battle resulted in the British driver spinning off and losing a position to Nico Hulkenberg.
Although the stewards did not even note their battle, Bearman was furious with Tsunoda post-race.
Bearman: “It won’t be the last” time Tsunoda involved in incident
The stewards did not even note the battle which resulted in Bearman’s COTA Sprint.
This is likely because Bearman spun out on his own, attempting to go for a gap that didn’t exist and subsequently spinning off. The FIA was never likely to investigate Tsunoda when he didn’t even make contact with his adversary.
As is often the case in COTA, drivers take various racing lines through Turns 13, 14 an 15. There were plenty of examples of this at yesterday’s US GP, with drivers constantly jinking from right to left in a section that allows for creative overtaking and defensive manoeuvres.
Tsunoda did the same, covering off the inside line to prevent Bearman from making a lunge. Even before the Red Bull driver’s small cover to the left-hand side, there was never a car’s width for the VF-25 to work with anyway.
Despite this, the Haas driver made a serious of damming statements to Sky Sports post-race:
“Honestly we’re very lucky to have avoided a big big crash. Just very disappointed that that resulted in P9 for us today.
“I don’t think it’s the first time he’s done something like that, and it’s definitely not going to be the last time.
“Clearly with the way he’s driving, I mean we saw him in qualy yesterday complaining. He’s trying really hard and it’s not working.
“Twice in Turn 1 he divebombed in Turn 1, taking incredible risks. So I don’t think it’s worth even trying to make him understand my view.”
Tsunoda unbothered by Bearman criticism
Bearman’s comments in COTA went beyond just yesterday’s incident with the Red Bull driver. The 20-year-old made a series of direct attacks on Tsunoda’s abilities and his calibre as a driver.
The British driver’s frustrations were so severe that it seemingly clouded his assessment. Tsunoda, for example, was firmly in the pack heading into Turn 1 on Sunday – sandwiched between several cars. It was only in the Sprint Race when the Japanese driver took risks in Turn 1.
But taking risks and being aggressive is a part of Formula 1, especially on the first lap. Criticising a driver for making up positions on the first lap is unusual, to say the least. And of course, Tsunoda’s big move on Saturday was perfectly clean.
Ultimately, the Red Bull driver was uninterested in getting involved in a back-and-forth with Bearman. The #22 took a step forward in COTA, even without running the same front wing as teammate Verstappen.
Should the 25-year-old secure another points finish this weekend in Mexico, it will help strengthen his chances for 2026.
Main photo: Clive Rose/Getty Images (Red Bull content pool)
