Yuki Tsunoda looked primed to finish in the top 10 at the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix but a bizarre ‘incident’ meant the Japanese end the race in 13th and with his car being ‘fixed’ with duct tape.
Tsunoda’s AT03 suffered a broken back wing down the middle, with the stewards issuing AlphaTauri driver a black and yellow flag, which means the racer had to return to the pits with ‘mechanical issues or loose bodywork’ and could have ended his race altogether.
AlphaTauri’s solution was first to ask Tsunoda to not use the DRS during the remainder of the race but the stewards called for ‘action’. In response, the engineers decided to ‘fix’ the problem with duct tape and Tsunoda carried on racing.
“I tell you what, Jo Bauer from the FIA has come stomping down the pitlane. Jo Bauer, unfortunately, got here about five seconds too late and the car had already skidded off. This may not be something the FIA are particularly happy with,” Karun Chandhok reported on Sky Sports F1.
Fans on social media had a field poking fun at the idea of duct tape being used to ‘fix’ a F1 car:
— Out of Context F1 baby (@f1nocontext) June 12, 2022
— Out of Context F1 baby (@f1nocontext) June 12, 2022
Alpha Tauri said: pic.twitter.com/F22qcUSnVI
— F1 Reaction Pictures (@FormulaReaction) June 12, 2022
Tsunoda’s rear wing #AzerbaijanGP #WTF1 pic.twitter.com/XpVYarKZQD
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) June 12, 2022
f1: we’re the pinnacle of motorsport
also f1: uses duck tape mid race to fix a rear wing
— mathilde (@adehilmt) June 12, 2022
Alpha Tauri Mechanics: pic.twitter.com/IdUROX4CdN
— Elliot Horwood #44 (@ElliotHorwoodF1) June 12, 2022
As for the race, Max Verstappen took full advantage of an engine failure for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to win the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday and open up a commanding lead in the world championship.
The Dutchman crossed the line 20.8 seconds clear of Sergio Perez who, ordered not to battle Verstappen, completed a one-two for Red Bull after race leader Leclerc pulled into the pits with a smoking engine on the 20th lap.
George Russell took third for Mercedes and his teammate Lewis Hamilton, voted “driver of the day”, fought through back pain to finish fourth.
Pole-sitter Leclerc’s retirement was his second in three races and was part of a double-DNF (did not finish) for Ferrari, with teammate Carlos Sainz having already stopped with a hydraulic failure.
It dropped Leclerc to third in the overall standings, 34 points behind Verstappen. Perez, winner in Baku last year after Verstappen crashed out of the lead, is second, 21 points behind his teammate after also scoring the point for fastest lap.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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