Not the best start to the weekend for the Japanese driver. Yuki Tsunoda revealed that he encountered issues during airport checks that almost stopped him from entering the U.S. ahead of the Las Vegas GP.
Yuki had arrived in Nevada quite early to participate in an event organized by Honda, where he got the chance to drive an IndyCar. This was the same event where Max Verstappen made his debut in a Hypercar.
An unpleasant situation
It is well known that airport checks in the United States are very strict. However, Yuki Tsunoda was surprised by what happened – “Fortunately, they let me in after a couple of discussions,” the Japanese driver explained. “Well, actually, a lot of discussions. They almost sent me back home. Luckily, I’m here now. I got the visas and everything else done. It’s the same for the last three tracks, right? I managed to enter without any issues in the other cases [in America, ed.].” – he pointed out.
“It felt a bit strange that they stopped me and gave me a proper interrogation. Fortunately, it didn’t last more than two or three hours. This isn’t the first time we’ve come here this year. I’ve heard a lot of stories, but I hope everything goes smoothly in the future.”
Yuki Tsunoda left without team support
Yuki Tsunoda also explained that he did not arrive at the Las Vegas airport with the team, but only with his physiotherapist. This made it harder to resolve the situation quickly.
“My physiotherapist, who I travel with, was there, but when you go through customs, you go individually. The officer put me in a room, and we talked.” – the Japanese driver revealed – “‘Can I bring the person I traveled with? Maybe they can help explain a bit more about myself and my situation as an F1 driver,’ but they didn’t allow it. They didn’t even let me call anyone.”
“I wanted to call the team or F1 because they could have helped me, but in that room, you can’t do anything. I was wearing pajamas, so maybe I didn’t look like an F1 driver. But I’m sure they knew. After talking, the officer even asked me about my salary and everything else.” – Yuki Tsunoda admitted – “It’s an uncomfortable situation. I felt a lot of pressure from them, as if I couldn’t say anything. If I said something, I felt like I could get into even more trouble. I hope everything is resolved. Fortunately, I got through without further issues.” – the Racing Bulls driver concluded ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend in Nevada.
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