Red Bull star issues apology after fierce outburst at F1 rival

Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that he apologised to a team for an interview he gave at the US Grand Prix last weekend.

Tsunoda was frustrated after being knocked out of qualifying early, having failed to make it round to the start of his final flying lap before the chequered flag came out for the end of the session.

Asked afterward about a potential block from fellow Red Bull employee Liam Lawson, the Japanese star took aim at the driver he replaced after two races of the season.

“With Lawson, it’s just the usual story," he said. "He’s always doing something on purpose, and it’s b*******, so it’s him. I don’t care about him, to be honest."

Tsunoda leaves key name out of apology

With predictably fantastic timing, the two were paired together by the FIA for Thursday's pre-race press conference, with the pair asked if they'd spoken about the events of Austin.

Tsunoda admitted 'I don’t think we have spoken in person', while Lawson pled ignorance, claiming he 'doesn't really know' what happened.

Speaking about his rant, the under-pressure Red Bull man added: “I apologised to the team, to VCARB. What I said, especially in the media was very unnecessary. And I think… yeah. That’s it.”

Rounding the conversation off, Lawson added: “Yeah. I mean, it’s an intense part of the season. So for sure, obviously, each weekend’s going to be tough. It’s just incredibly close this year. So each session – especially in qualifying – we’re trying to extract everything. So it’s little things that make a difference.”

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