Yuki Tsunoda has slammed his 10-place grid penalty for Formula 1's Canadian Grand Prix as "ridiculous", after being punished for overtaking Oscar Piastri under red flag conditions in practice.
The Red Bull driver was summoned to see the stewards ahead of qualifying after they deemed he had broken the rules by passing Piastri in the wake of the McLaren's brush with the wall in the final corner in FP3 that stopped the session.
The stewards deemed Tsunoda was at fault and handed him a 10-place drop for the race – which will put him to the back of the grid in Montreal as he only qualified 11th.
But while Tsunoda does not dispute he drove past Piastri on the back straight at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, he says it made no sense for him to wait behind his competitor – with debris being thrown off the McLaren and him fearing his damaged right rear tyre was about to come off.
"Ten places, it's ridiculous for me," he said. "I don't know what they want me to do.
"Apparently, they want me to stay behind Oscar to not overtake. But for me, just OK, [I am then] hoping that the debris won't hit me. So I don't understand this.
"Especially the [McLaren] car having damage, driving very slow. I don't think I deserve this."
Tsunoda explained that he had come up behind Piastri between Turns 12 and 13 prior to the final chicane, and had instantly been aware that there was a risk of him hitting debris – especially if he had to follow the Australian into the pits.
"I don't know what they want me to do, because just Oscar having massive damage, [he was] spreading all over the place," he said.
"[There was] debris from the last corner to the end of the lap. He was driving 80km/h [50mph] in the back straight, on the far left, and he did a good job to not spread it and to avoid collision with other drivers.
"Obviously I understand that under the red flag you can't overtake but waiting for Oscar to pit, [being] behind a damaged car, just for me it would be waiting for the debris to hit me.
"I saw the tyre was going sideways, and I thought it was going to fly away. Obviously, I knew that, so I went far right.
"Obviously I checked the car ahead of Oscar, and the car behind myself, to make sure there's not anyone [there].
"I went the opposite way to overtake him with a sensible speed, which was 170km/h [106mph], half the speed that we normally drive, and I got a penalty."
Tsunoda's back of the grid start has ruined what was an encouraging day in pace terms, as he narrowly missed out on a spot in Q3 after finally getting his hands on Red Bull's latest upgrade.
"It's very frustrating," he said. "Considering the circumstances, and what was happening in FP3, P11 is not the worst probably – although obviously it's not good enough at all.
"But yeah, it's starting P20 again. I don't normally start P20 that often, in the last two years at least especially. It's not an experience that I'm enjoying at all. But it is what it is, I have to make the positions up."
