Explained: Why Yuki Tsunoda was given a 10-place grid penalty for the F1 Canadian GP
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda was given a 10-place grid penalty for the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix after he was punished for his red flag infringement during the FP3 session. The Japanese driver has had a tough time since shifting to the Austrian team in Suzuka from the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 team.
The 25-year-old found himself in an unfortunate situation during the FP3 session after McLaren driver Oscar Piastri sustained damage from brushing the walls on the final turn. The Aussie driver had damage on his rear right tires and the debries were splattered all over the track.
The stewards decided to red flag the session momentarily to allow the marshals to clear the damage. However, the Red Bull driver was noted for overtaking Piastri under red flag conditions as the former ws trying to avoid the Aussie.
Ahead of the qualifying session, the stewards gave Yuki Tsunoda a 10-place grid penalty for the main race, similar to the punishment dished out to Haas driver Oliver Bearman in Monaco.
In their statement, the governing body understood that Piastri was away from the racing line in his bid to stay clear of the other cars when the Japanese went past him on the back straight. The race stewards said:
"Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that while Car 81 had an obvious problem, it was not travelling at such a speed that it prevented Car 22 from following it at a safe distance. The circumstances were such that there was no justifiable reason for the driver of Car 22 to have overtaken Car 81."
Yuki Tsunoda will start the main race on Sunday from P20 despite finishing P11 in the qualifying session.
Yuki Tsunoda gives is take on his 10-place penalty in Canada
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda was fuming after he recieved a 10-splace grid penalty as he believed he did not "deserve" the punishment from the stewards. Speaking with RacingNews365 in his post-quali interview, the 25-year-old reflected and said:
"I'm not really sure I deserve that penalty because I don't know what they [the stewards] want me to do. Ten places is ridiculous for me. I don't know what they want me to do.
"Apparently, they wanted me to stay behind Oscar, not to overtake. But for me, I'm hoping that debris won't hit me. I don't understand this, especially the car having damage, driving very slow. I don't think I deserve this 10 place [penalty]."
Yuki Tsunoda is currently P15 in the driver's standings and has 10 points to his name from nine races and two Sprints thus far. Although Red Bull have reiterated that the Japanese driver was secure in his seat until the end of the season, the pressure has been mounting on him given his gap to Max Verstappen.