Tsunoda calls out Lawson’s “unnecessary” move after costly Italian Grand Prix clash
- Kavi Khandelwal
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Written by Kavi Khandelwal, Edited by Meghana Sree
At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, a promising start to the race for Yuki Tsunoda quickly unravelled, leaving him to reflect on a difficult outcome. His frustration was clear as he recounted how his race was ruined by contact with a car that was not even fighting for position.
Yuki Tsunoda's race was going to plan in the early stages, after starting ninth and on track for points. He confirmed that the "first stint was okay", and his pace was solid.
However, the turning point came when he was distracted by another car on track: that of his former teammate Liam Lawson in the sister team of Racing Bulls, which led to a race-ruining incident.
"I got distracted by the guy who was not even fighting for the points," Tsunoda said.
The contact with Lawson caused significant damage to the floor, as confirmed by Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies. Tsunoda later added that the damage "was enough to make [him] slow down to a bad pace".
He described the move as "very unnecessary", and his frustration was evident, the Japanese driver stating: "[It was] very frustrating to be honest, I was fighting for points."
Tsunoda then spoke about the nature of Lawson’s driving style, calling him an "aggressive" driver. While he acknowledged that it’s part of a high-pressure environment, he implied that there are boundaries: "I think it's not the best thing but at the same time there's always a line that we can't step over."
The added pressure of competing for a limited number of seats only makes the situation more intense. Tsunoda highlighted this pressure, noting they were "especially in the same roof", both Lawson and Tsunoda being part of the Red Bull family.
He continued: "With his position probably, it's a seat that probably can be very high competition [...] but at the same time there is always a line and there's a respect."
Looking at the weekend as a whole, Tsunoda added: "On the positive side we were better in the short runs today and after Q2 yesterday I was really close to Max [Verstappen] and I can see that we are making progress race by race.
"After a race like today you just have to pick yourself back up and look at the positives like the qualifying lap, of course I am disappointed but you have to keep fighting and believing in yourself.
"Max was given a new floor this weekend as well and I didn’t receive that upgrade, so I am happy that I was able to squeeze as much performance out of the car as I did for qualifying yesterday."
His final words on the matter summed up his disappointment and better hopes for the future.
The race-ruining incident with Lawson was no doubt a bitter pill to swallow for Tsunoda, whose teammate Verstappen went on to win the fastest race in Formula One history with a pole-to-flag victory.
While Tsunoda is left without a seat confirmed for 2026, consistent points finishes are what he needs to support his case to remain Verstappen's teammate. With that opportunity lost in Monza, the Japanese driver will look forward to the next eight rounds to make amends and turn his season around in a bid to secure his future with Red Bull.
