How RB used Tsunoda for “teamwork” after car was damaged on first lap · RaceFans

RB kept Yuki Tsunoda in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite the significant damage his car sustained on the first lap of the race for what his race engineer called “teamwork” reasons.

Following his first-lap collision with Lance Stroll, RB told Tsunoda to allow his team mate to overtake him, then left him on track as others tried to pass the RB. The team even turned down a request from Tsunoda to make a pit stop on one lap.

Only after Tsunoda finally made his pit stop, and had fallen to the back of the field, did RB choose to retire his car. “I’m sorry if we didn’t call you in earlier,” said his race engineer Ernesto Desiderio. “We were trying to do a bit of teamwork.”

Tsunoda’s car was damaged when Stroll attempted to pass him at turn four on the first lap of the race. Tsunoda avoided losing any other places until the third lap, when Lando Norris and Nico Hulkenberg overtook him.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

The team then told him to let his team mate Daniel Ricciardo past, which he did. Lewis Hamilton and Pierre Gasly overtook him on the same lap.

But the Sauber pair, pursued by Esteban Ocon’s Alpine, were unable to pass Tsunoda, even as he lost over a second per lap to the cars ahead.

By lap 10 the cars ahead were beginning to make their pit stops and RB advised Tsunoda he might have a chance to race Franco Colapinto. However the Williams driver came out of the pits several seconds ahead of their car.

Tsunoda asked for a pit stop of his own by this point but RB refused. They eventually agreed on the 12th lap, after further entreaties from Tsunoda, but soon after he returned to the track they told him to pit again to retire.

At this point RB revealed to Tsunoda they had been “trying to do a bit of teamwork” by keeping him on track despite his uncompetitive lap times due to the damage.

Leaving Tsunoda’s car on track was potentially a risky decision for RB. Last year the team (then known as AlphaTauri) was fined €5,000 (£4,400) after the stewards ruled they sent Tsunoda’s car onto the track in an unsafe condition following his collision with team mate Nyck de Vries during the sprint race.

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

Tsunoda’s 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix radio messages