05/07/2022
NEWS STORY
"I could have waited," admits Yuki Tsunoda following the clash with his teammate, Pierre Gasly that was to lead to the Frenchman's retirement from the British Grand Prix.
With Yuki Tsunoda having been involved in the incident at the start of the race, but able to continue as his team took advantage of the red flag period to repair his car, AlphaTauri had every right to breath a huge sigh of relief, but later in the afternoon the Japanese youngster was to clash with his teammate, a move that ended any hopes of a points finish for both.
Making an ambitious move on Gasly as the pair headed in Village, Tsunoda hit his teammate's car causing both to spin, Gasly subsequently retiring as a result of the damage incurred.
"I think I could have waited for another opportunity to pass him," admitted Tsunoda. "My speed was good going into the corner so I thought I could make it through.
"I also didn't expect Pierre to close the door quite as much as he did," he added, "so this is a mistake from my side.
"Mainly, I just want to say sorry to the team. After that, I had damage to the car, it was very tricky to drive and that made the rest of the race very difficult for me."
However, other than his involvement in the incident at the start of the race, Gasly was also involved in Max Verstappen's demise, for it was a debris from the clash with Gasly that compromised the Dutchman's afternoon and left him fending off Mick Schumacher.
"About the collision with Pierre, huge apologies to my team, people in the factory, fans and especially Pierre Gasly," Tsunoda subsequently posted on social media. "That was completely my mistake. I'll be back stronger in Austria."
"After the restart, I was running in seventh, we were in a great position," said Gasly. "Following the incident with Yuki I had damage to the rear wing, so we had to retire the car.
"Every point is valuable, especially in a season like this, so I'm disappointed with the end result, as it was an unnecessary collision."