The 24-year-old driver, who races for the Red Bull-owned RB, was interrogated for hours ahead of Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix., adding that he was nearly sent back home at one point.
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Japanese Formula One driver Yuki Tsunoda claimed he had been interrogated for hours by US border officials while still in his pyjamas, and nearly “sent back home” at one point before finally being allowed to enter the country for Saturday’s Las Vegas Grand Prix. The 24-year-old driver, who races for the Red Bull-owned RB, added that he had faced no such issues ahead of the races in Austin and Miami earlier in the ongoing F1 season.
“Luckily, they let me in after a couple of discussions,” he said. “Well, a lot of discussions, actually … I nearly got sent back home.”
Tsunoda said he had been travelling with his physio but had to go through immigration on his own and was then taken to a room for questioning despite having the correct paperwork.
The Las Vegas race comes after a three-week break following a round in Brazil and Tsunoda had flown in ahead of the team for a promotional event.
“I was wearing pyjamas, so maybe I didn’t look like an F1 driver,” added the 24-year-old.
With 28 points to his name this Tsunoda currently finds himself at the 11th spot in the 2024 F1 Driver’s Championship, which continues to be led by Red Bull’s defending champion Max Verstappen.
As for the Constructors’ standings, RB find themselves at the eighth spot out of 10 teams, with McLaren and Mercedes currently occupying the first and second spots respectively.