Tsunoda criticizes penalty for Zhou defence in Spanish Grand Prix as “absurd”.

A Shocking Turn of Events at the Grand Prix

The recent round of Formula One racing was nothing short of exhilarating, with Max Verstappen delivering a dominating performance throughout. However, it wasn’t just his impressive skills that made headlines – there was also an intense clash involving Alfa Romeo racer Zhou and Scuderia AlphaTauri’s Tsunoda.

Zhou Challenges Tsunoda for Ninth Place

Lap 56 saw Zhou utilize DRS to challenge Tsunoda for ninth place around the outside into the Turn 1 right-hander. It seemed like he had what it takes to overtake his opponent, but things took a turn for the worse when he appeared to jink his car to the left before taking to the escape road. This move allowed him to rejoin several car lengths behind Tsunoda.

The FIA Stewards Review The Incident

Following this incident, FIA stewards reviewed the footage and concluded that Zhou was in front at Turn 1’s apex. As such, he was entitled to racing room from his opponent. Meanwhile, Tzuyu found himself in breach of International Sporting Code rules and consequently received a five-second penalty which led him straight out of point contention down into twelfth place while adding two points on board for Zhou.

Tsunoda Unhappy with Penalty Ruling

Tsunoda voiced his dissatisfaction about being handed down this ruling by claiming “It feels really unfair.” According to him, there was enough space still available on track when Zhou pretended that he ran out of room. He stated that Zhou had given up in the early stages and that there was “definitely” enough space outside.

Tsunoda even went on to say that he wasn’t aware of this penalty until reaching the finish line, which only made things worse for him. He believes both himself and his team should have been able to offer their defense before receiving a final verdict from FIA stewards.

Zhou Believes Penalty Was Fair

On the other hand, Zhou believes it was an easy decision for FIA stewards to make as he was ahead before braking into Turn 1. While mid-corner, he gave plenty of space but then saw Tsunoda failing to release his brakes which forced him off track with no choice but taking avoiding action while driving through the escape road; otherwise they would have collided together. It created more difficulties on his end since he got so much debris stuck onto his tires because of this incident – yet still managed to stay behind Tsunoda in position and eventually regain ninth place.