Photo: RacePictures.

Tsunoda under fire: 'He was the one who gave me a s*** quali!'

11:47, 28 Oct

Updated: 12:05, 28 Oct

3 Comments

byTobia Elia

Esteban Ocon had a few words for Yuki Tsunoda after the Mexican Grand Prix.

“I got stuck behind Yuki that was defending like I’ve never seen”

- Esteban Ocon

Speaking to the media after the race, the Frenchman said: “I got touched at the start. I got stuck behind Yuki that was defending like I’ve never seen.”

Ocon accused the Japanese driver of moving under braking and ruining his qualifying, though he admitted it wasn’t Tsunoda’s fault: “He moved under braking, that was the point. And unfortunately, he was the one also giving me a s*** quali — which... that was not his fault to be fair.”

He finally added: “I always seem to catch him in the wrong place at the wrong time and basically that damaged our race because we must have lost like eight or nine seconds stuck behind him in that first stint and I couldn’t get by. Once we cleared him, then we could stretch our legs and it was much better, but it was too late.”

Esteban Ocon at the United States GP - Photo: Race Pictures

A standout performance for Haas in Mexico

Although Ocon lost time behind the Japanese driver’s RB21, he still managed to bring his Haas home in ninth place — helping the American team secure a strong haul of points thanks also to Oliver Bearman’s impressive fourth-place finish, having even run in podium contention for much of the race.

Led by Ayao Komatsu, the team leaves Mexico with 14 points in the bag, a result that has thrust them back into the fight for sixth in the Constructors’ standings, with Aston Martin and RB now much closer.

Here’s how the Constructors’ Championship looks after the Mexican Grand Prix.

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