FIA announce Red Bull penalty verdict after....

FIA announce Red Bull penalty verdict after….read more 

The FIA has handed Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda his first official reprimand of the 2025 Formula 1 season, following a pit lane incident during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. The Japanese driver, who recently made the high-profile switch from Racing Bulls to Red Bull’s senior team, found himself in hot water during Free Practice 1 (FP1) on Friday.

Tsunoda, whose promotion to Red Bull came after just two races into the season—replacing Liam Lawson—had a session to forget. During FP1, he overtook Williams’ Alex Albon in the pit lane, a maneuver that is strictly prohibited unless exceptional circumstances apply. The FIA, after reviewing footage and telemetry data, summoned Tsunoda and his team to explain the situation.

In their official statement, the FIA noted that Tsunoda overtook Car 23 (Albon) as it was exiting the garage. Tsunoda defended his action by stating that he feared locking up and crashing into the back of Albon’s car if he tried to brake, leading him to commit the overtaking maneuver instead. While the stewards accepted that Tsunoda was trying to avoid a collision and acknowledged that Red Bull had not released his car unsafely, they concluded that the move was still against the rules.

The governing body emphasized that overtaking in the pit lane is not allowed unless under extraordinary conditions—which, in this case, did not apply. The decision comes in the wake of several similar pit lane incidents during the Japanese Grand Prix, indicating that the FIA is tightening enforcement around this rule.

To make matters worse, Tsunoda appeared to momentarily forget he was no longer driving for Racing Bulls. Earlier in the session, he drove straight past the Red Bull pit box and almost pulled into his former team’s area. These lapses contributed to an underwhelming debut FP1 with the main Red Bull outfit, where he was also outpaced by the very driver he replaced, Liam Lawson.

Despite finishing ahead of Lawson by five places at Suzuka, Tsunoda failed to score any championship points. Interestingly, rookie driver Isack Hadjar managed to finish in the points, outperforming both Tsunoda and Lawson.

As Red Bull heads into the fourth round of the season, they currently sit third in the constructors’ standings. However, all their points so far have been earned by a single driver—echoing a concerning pattern from the 2024 season. Back then, Max Verstappen’s dominant performances weren’t enough to secure Red Bull the constructors’ title, largely due to Sergio Perez’s struggles to contribute significantly to the team’s tally. That lack of balance allowed McLaren, led by the consistent efforts of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, to win their first constructors’ championship in 25 years.

With Red Bull now facing similar dynamics in 2025, Tsunoda’s performance—and discipline—will be under close scrutiny in the coming races. The team cannot afford another season of one-driver dependency if they hope to reclaim the top spot in both championships.