Tsunoda left frustrated at ‘annoying’ Las Vegas race that saw Haas extend constructors’ advantage over RB

Yuki Tsunoda drove well in Las Vegas to score two points for his team with a ninth place finish, but it wasn’t enough to prevent RB slipping further behind Haas in the constructors’ championship. Despite starting ahead of rival Nico Hulkenberg, Tsunoda finished one place behind the German in Vegas as Haas climbed up to sixth in the standings.

With Liam Lawson unable to finish close to the points, the pressure was on Tsunoda to deliver for the team. That he did with an assured drive, but he was unable to fend off Hulkenberg late on – the German with a big tyre offset with which to attack and pass in the closing stages of the race.

But the good news for RB was that Pierre Gasly and Alpine failed to score despite a promising P3 grid slot, meaning that at least their other rivals didn’t extend their advantage over RB in the championship.

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“It wasn’t an easy race today but we maximised all that we could, and I think as a team we made such a good step forward throughout the weekend,” said Tsunoda.

“Obviously, I’m happy with finishing in the points today, but at the same time, it is pretty annoying as we lost a few points for the constructors’ championship. I was feeling good and confident in the car, which is important, especially in a circuit like this, so I’m definitely happy with that and with the strong race pace we showed.”

Lawson kept his race clean despite a couple of tussles with Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen, those three going wheel-to-wheel at one stage despite the tight, twisty nature of some of the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. It was an assured drive from Lawson in just his ninth Grand Prix start, but one where the team got caught out on strategy.

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“The first stint wasn’t too bad, we were in and amongst the group around us, but it’s really hard to overtake, or at least it was for us,” the Kiwi said afterwards.

“We tried to one stop and stretch it, but I think we tried to stretch that second stint a little too long and ended up boxing, coming out nowhere. It just didn’t work.”

RB remain eighth in the standings, having held onto sixth for much of the season. They are three points behind Alpine and four behind Haas in the battle for P6 and with prize money decided on finishing position in that championship, there is a lot at stake for those three teams heading into the final two rounds of the season.

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