Yuki Tsunoda’s first full season alongside Daniel Ricciardo is off to a rocky start.
The Japanese driver — having already seen a promising beginning at Saturday’s Bahrain Grand Prix go sideways due in part to questionable strategy calls from his RB team — was asked to let Ricciardo pass with just five laps remaining as the pair languished in 13th and 14th place, respectively.
The rebranded Alpha Tauri team reasoned that the Australian, who was on the quicker soft compound tires, would stand a better chance of passing Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and fighting for points.