Yuki Tsunoda has hit out at Lance Stroll for his “unnecessary” Lap 1 move at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Tsunoda and Stroll collided on the opening lap of Sunday’s race in Baku.
Stroll attempted a late lunge on Tsunoda, resulting in minor contact.
The collision resulted in damage to the side of Tsunoda’s RB, ultimately retiring early on after plummeting down the field.
It was a similar story for Stroll, who picked up a puncture in the process.
Reflecting on the incident, Tsunoda question’s Stroll’s lunge, stating “I’m not sure what he had to gain”.
“Very frustrated to have this happen two races in a row,” Tsunoda said after the race. “A very short race, losing the opportunity to score points, which would still have been tricky, but you never know on these street races.
“Starting P12 is obviously not ideal and means there are a lot of risks of getting damage. We just need to step up a little bit and qualify in the top 10, so we can get a better start. In terms of what happened on track, it felt like an unnecessary move from him [Stroll].
“Sending it in like that, with a nothing-to-lose approach. I’m not sure what he had to gain, but I wasn’t going to make it easy for him. It was a shame, not the way I wanted to end my race, but we’ll come back strong in Singapore.”
Stroll was left to rue the Lap 1 puncture before retiring in the closing laps due to a brake pedal issue.
The pace of the Aston Martin in Azerbaijan appeared to be strong though as Fernando Alonso secured sixth.
“My race was pretty much over on the first lap when [Yuki] Tsunoda and I made contact,” Stroll explained. “I dived down the inside – I’m not sure if he saw me or not – but he closed the door and I had to pit with a puncture. We’re all racing hard on the opening lap and these things happen, but it left us on the back foot for the rest of the race.
“With nine laps to go I started feeling an issue with the brake pedal and it was getting worse with each lap. This isn’t a circuit to take any risks at, and we were well out of the points positions, so it made sense to retire the car. It’s been a frustrating weekend, but I’m looking forward to Singapore.”