The 2025 Formula 1 season is over, but the controversy surrounding the championship-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix refuses to die down. Fresh criticism has emerged claiming Red Bull should have received a team penalty for the way Yuki Tsunoda defended against Lando Norris in the closing stages at Yas Marina.
Tsunoda picked up a five-second penalty for repeatedly moving in the braking zone while Lando Norris attempted to lap him after the McLaren driver’s final pit stop. The stewards ruled that Norris going off-track to complete the pass was entirely caused by the Japanese driver’s erratic weaving – a verdict that sparked immediate debate.
While Tsunoda was punished, many felt Red Bull escaped scot-free despite clear evidence the defense was a deliberate attempt to slow down the title contender and protect Max Verstappen’s faint championship hopes.
“Red Bull should have been stopped and disqualified”
On the latest episode of the popular Italian podcast Terruzzi Racconta, respected journalists Giorgio Terruzzi and Pino Allievi launched a scathing attack on both Yuki Tsunoda’s driving and Red Bull’s tactics.
“Forget penalizing Norris as well – Tsunoda should have been stopped and disqualified, and Red Bull penalized for inciting him to drive like that,” Terruzzi said bluntly.
Pino Allievi, one of Italy’s most experienced F1 commentators, fully backed his colleague and insisted the Milton Keynes outfit crossed the line in their desperation to disrupt Norris’s race.
“Something had to be done to penalize Red Bull. You just don’t do that,” Pino Allievi added.
The incident carried extra weight because of previous cases where teams have been hit with penalties or fines for instructing drivers to impede rivals in crucial moments. Yuki Tsunoda’s weaving was undeniably on the edge – forcing Norris to take evasive action and run wide – yet only the driver suffered consequences.
Initially both drivers were placed under investigation, raising the terrifying possibility for McLaren fans that Norris could receive a penalty of his own. Had that happened, his path to the title would have become dramatically more complicated, potentially handing the crown to one of his rivals on the final lap.
In the end the stewards cleared the Briton completely, applying the five-second sanction solely to Yuki Tsunoda – a decision that secured Norris the breathing space he needed to bring home the championship.
Nevertheless, the feeling persists in many corners of the paddock and among fans that Red Bull’s strategic gamesmanship went unpunished, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste to what was otherwise a thrilling conclusion to one of the closest title fights in years.
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