Yuki Tsunoda, a driver for the RB team, has been fined for making an offensive remark towards another competitor during the qualifying session at the Austrian Grand Prix in Formula 1. Tsunoda and a representative from RB were summoned to the FIA stewards to address a comment he made over the team radio during the Q1 segment. The incident occurred when Tsunoda became angry after Guanyu Zhou from Sauber overtook him in the pit lane while the cars were queuing. Tsunoda allegedly stated, “These guys are f***ing retarded.” The stewards received a report about Tsunoda’s comment and initiated an investigation to determine if it violated the FIA’s International Sporting Code.
After several hours, it was announced that Tsunoda has been fined €40,000, with €20,000 of the fine being suspended for the remainder of the season, due to his “inappropriate comments.” Tsunoda expressed remorse and explained that he was not aware of the meaning of the term as English is not his primary language. He admitted to being “horrified” once he learned the significance of the phrase and acknowledged that his lack of knowledge should not be used as an excuse for his actions. Despite considering these factors, the stewards determined that Tsunoda’s words were offensive, inappropriate, and a violation of Article 12.2.1.k.
This incident has drawn comparisons to a similar situation involving Max Verstappen, who called Lance Stroll a “retard” and a “mongol” during a practice session at the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix. However, the FIA chose not to take disciplinary action against Verstappen for his comments, which led to a request for an apology from Mongolia’s Ambassador to the UN. Toto Wolff and Frederic Vasseur, team bosses for Mercedes and Ferrari respectively, were warned at the previous season’s Las Vegas Grand Prix for using swear words during a press conference.