30 October 2023 , 08:00
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"No comment". A furious Yuki Tsunoda was categorically not willing to talk about the collision which ruined his race at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Those were the only two words he said about it to F1 TV after the race. And he was no more compliant when speaking to written media either, snapping: "I don't want to comment about this. I think I commented enough when I was driving."
It was true that he had let out a visceral scream of frustration over the radio after colliding with Oscar Piastri. He was running in the points at the time and trying to overtake the McLaren racer, but tried a brainless move which he really, really didn't need to make.
He'd already had a nibble at the Aussie which caused a small amount of contact and it was clear that the Japanese racer was feeling impatient. And so it was little surprise in the end that he went for the move that was never on and which ended his chance of points.
But it was frustrating to watch. Tsunoda has infamously struggled to contain his temper during races since joining Formula 1 but this year, in his third season in the sport and with AlphaTauri, a much more mature racer has been seen out on track – one who spent hours studying videos of Fernando Alonso's driving to improve his racecraft.
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So it was disappointing to see him make the mistake, and then even more so to respond in the way he did. He failed to own that he had made a mistake at the first opportunity. To be fair, he later did in quotes released by the team. "I felt the tyres were starting to struggle and I wanted to overtake as soon as possible," he said. "Huge apologies for the incident that led me to fall to the back of the pack."
That apology was needed because it threw away a nailed-on double points finish for AlphaTauri. The team that has spent the whole year rock bottom finally lifted itself off the foot of the constructors' standings in Mexico anyway, thanks to Daniel Ricciardo finishing seventh.
But it could and should have been so much more. Tsunoda would almost certainly have finished in the points himself and may have got a better opportunity to pass Piastri had he been more patient. And it also had a negative effect on Ricciardo who was left exposed to the charging Lando Norris after tumbling down the order.
We'll never know if Ricciardo might have held off the McLaren if he had Tsunoda there to help him, but he certainly would have stood a better chance. Instead of being level on points with Alfa Romeo, AlphaTauri should be clear of the Sauber team and closer to Williams in seventh place.
AlphaTauri finally have a car that looks capable of challenging for points on a regular basis. What they need now is two drivers who can keep their heads and deliver when the opportunities to do that present themselves.
Ricciardo proved on Sunday that he can do that and Tsunoda provided similar evidence earlier in the year. But he needs to work on his patience and his temper if he is to keep doing so, and if he is to secure a long-term future in F1.