AUSTIN, Texas -- The opening lap of today’s F1 Sprint race at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix was chaotic, to say the least.
Ride along with Yuki Tsunoda as he navigates the opening-lap crash in the F1 Sprint at the U.S. Grand Prix
Is this an F1 race or a driver’s education video?
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
And thanks to the onboard view from Yuki Tsunoda’s RB21, we now know just how chaotic it was.
As the drivers managed the blind breaking point at the crest of the 133-foot hill, contact between Nico Hülkenberg and Oscar Piastri sent the McLaren driver into teammate Lando Norris. In the ensuing wreckage, the two McLaren drivers were knocked out of the race along with Fernando Alonso, opening the door to a win for Max Verstappen.
It was also a chance for Tsunoda to capitalize.
After a “frustrating” qualifying session on Friday saw the Red Bull driver start the F1 Sprint race down in P18, the chaos at the first turn opened the door for Tsunoda to climb through the debris and emerge inside the points.
Provided he could avoid every obstacle thrown in front of him:
As noted by the F1 social media account, Tsunoda can pick his way through the carnage -- including a wayward tire rolling across the track on the downhill run towards Turn 2 -- and emerge relatively unscathed. From there, Tsunoda held on for a P7 finish, picking up two unexpected points.
However, this has us wondering: F1 race or driver’s education video?
Maybe a bit of both?
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