03/03/2024
NEWS STORY
Visa Cash App RB has more to worry about than its dumb name, as drivers fall Ricciardo and Tsunoda fall out over strategic call.
While both started on softs and completed their second stint on hards, for the final stint Tsunoda was left on hards while his teammate switched to new softs, thereby allowing him to push in the final stages of the race.
Tsunoda made his final stop on Lap 34 with his teammate following a lap later, rejoining in 16th just behind the other RB.
As the Japanese driver closed on Kevin Magnussen, on his fresh softs Ricciardo began to grow concerned that he was losing their best and subsequently called on the team to swap places.
When the call came, Tsunoda argued but subsequently gave way to his teammate at possibly the most difficult part of the track, and for the remainder of the race harried the Australian at every turn the pair almost colliding at one stage.
"I was just about to overtake Magnussen, I was side-by-side on the main straight and got a driver swap for the last few laps," said a clearly frustrated Tsunoda. "To be honest, I didn't understand what the team thought. So, I have to understand what they were thinking, but so far I don't understand.
"We have to review what was their thoughts, to be honest," he continued. "I don't really understand. We talk about it as well, obviously before the race, you know."
"We talk about it as well, obviously before the race, you know," said Ricciardo in a separate interview. "We go through strategy and we also have a few plans of what strategy we might do. But it was highly likely that me, starting on the used soft, I was going to finish the race on a new soft and have an attacking last stint. So the call was quite expected.
"Obviously every lap counts when you are on this tyre," he added, "and trying to get this little bit of grip out of it so you need to react to the team call. Also, we weren't in a points position yet so there was really nothing to lose. Just let me go and see if I can do something about it.
"In the end, whether I am thirteenth or fourteenth, I don't know if any driver cares about that but I don't," he continued. "So if the team had let him back by before the finish line I would've done it because it means nothing to me. Unless we are in the points who cares?
"But it is really just if you are in the points position. If he was letting me by for ninth and he is tenth or whatever then maybe you swap again if I cannot get eighth. But in that situation, it didn't matter today.
"It is race one of 24 and yes there was a little bit of conflict today but I don't want that to set the tone," insisted the Australian. "I think we will talk about it now in the briefing honestly. Hopefully, once he has calmed down, he can say, 'OK, yeah I should've moved a lap earlier'.
"Being fully transparent from my side, I think the call was already one lap too late and then he has reacted too late," he added. "When the soft tyre is like this every lap is crucial, I think I already lost probably two-and-a-half good laps of the tyre and that was maybe the difference.
"Could we have caught Stroll in 10th? No," he admitted. "At best we may have got Zhou. So, points were still tricky but we had to try something."
On the cool down lap, Tsunoda pointedly overtook his teammate, the pair almost colliding in the process.
"What the f***!" declared Ricciardo.
Subsequently asked about the incident he said: ""I don't know. I came on the radio and was trying to stay cool. I'm being very sensible right now, but let's call it immaturity. He's obviously frustrated with the team orders call."
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