Pierre Gasly – Yuki Tsunoda collision: OFFICIAL decision on penalty | F1 Saudi Arabian GP. The race stewards have reviewed the incident between Gasly and Tsunoda at Turn 5 of the Saudi Arabian GP.

An early-race incident in the Saudi Arabian GP compromised the races of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda. The stewards have now issued their verdict.

The Alpine driver was attempting to overtake the Red Bull rival around the outside at Turn 5 on the opening lap. The Frenchman had managed to get ahead but was unable to avoid contact. The incident proved race-ending for both, forcing them to retire.

After the race, the stewards summoned both drivers to discuss the dynamics of the crash. Yuki Tsunoda stated he didn’t know what more he could have done to avoid it. “I was behind Carlos Sainz. I had full control,” he told F1 TV. “I wasn’t at risk of hitting Carlos ahead of me. So it’s hard to justify what I supposedly did wrong.”

Yuki Tsunoda accused Pierre Gasly of not leaving him enough room, but still emphasized that it was “just a racing incident.”

The Alpine driver, however, gave a different account, saying he had moved as far to the edge of the track as possible and felt he had the situation under control. “I think I made a good move in Turn 4. I managed to brake and overtake him. I knew he was on the inside, so I left as much space as possible on exit,” he told F1 TV. “Unfortunately, there was contact that caused the car to spin.”

An hour later, the stewards issued their decision. No penalty for Yuki Tsunoda, as stated in the FIA document: “Car 22 and Car 10 were battling for position on the opening lap. They went through four corners without incident until the one at Turn 5.”

“Both parties agreed it was a racing incident, and neither driver was fully to blame.”