Yuki Tsunoda’s radio messages on the final lap of the Miami Sprint hinted at a Red Bull plan to minimise his team-mate Max Verstappen’s penalty, but it came to nought.

Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty in Saturday’s Sprint at the Miami Grand Prix after an unsafe release resulted in a crash in the pit lane with Kimi Antonelli.

Max Verstappen penalty, Yuki Tsunoda team orders?

As the drivers pitted to swap their worn intermediates for slick Pirelli tyres in the short 19-lap race, the action heated up in the pit lane.

It was “human error” according to Red Bull that saw the team release Verstappen into the path of Antonelli, resulting in the two making contact.

Verstappen suffered a broken front wing while Antonelli didn’t get to make his stop as he veered back into the fast lane to avoid further damage and therefore missed his opportunity to pit.

The incident was noted by Race Control with Verstappen facing a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release.

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His chances of minimising that pending penalty were wrecked when the Safety Car was deployed when Fernando Alonso was spun into the Turn 11 wall by Liam Lawson.

Lawson’s antics meant he was also facing a potential penalty, that of five seconds, with Tsunoda’s Red Bull race engineer Richard Wood urging him to stay as close to Lawson as possible in light of his potential penalty.

But as the drivers exited Turn 17 on the final lap, the Japanese driver was then told to fall back from the car ahead of him, Oliver Bearman, which hinted at Red Bull hoping Verstappen could slot into the gap when the penalties were applied.

A confused Tsunoda, though, got the order too late to create the gap.

Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull radio messages

Wood: “Liam, two cars ahead of you, is under investigation so he may get a penalty.”

Wood: “This is the final lap, keep it tight, keep it tight. We will finish under the Safety Car but keep it tight in case there’s penalties ahead.”

But as Tsunoda came to Turn 17 on the final lap, the order changed.

Wood: “So we need to be within eight, drop back to eight car lengths behind Bearman, please. Eight car lengths behind.”

Tsunoda: “What? What?”

Wood: “I’ll explain in the garage, I’ll explain in the garage.”

Tsunoda: “You mean like make a gap or what? To the car in front?”

Wood: “Recharge on here, I’ll explain in the garage.”

Tsunoda: “Mate!”

Tsunoda: “I’m sorry but like, the communications man, like in qualifying, it’s terrible.”

Wood: “Yeah, the request came late, I’ll explain in the garage.”

Tsunoda: “Did I do the right thing or what? Did I do the right thing?”

Wood: “Yes you did, yes you did. Thank you very much.”

Verstappen and Lawson weren’t the only drivers taking the chequered flag inside the top eight to be penalised.

Alex Albon was stripped of his fourth-place finish after receiving a post-race time penalty for a Safety Car infringement while Oliver Bearman lost P8 for an unsafe release by the Haas team.

Tsunoda was therefore elevated to sixth place, scoring a further three points to bring his season’s tally to eight.

Tsunoda will start Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix from 10th on the grid, having returned to Q3 after a disappointing Sprint qualifying.

Speaking to the media, including PlanetF1.com, he said: “I mean, went positive, went through Q3.

“In Sprint Qualifying I almost didn’t do any proper laps so it was kind of clouded what kind of balance that we have, exactly. And we made a setup change with almost a guess because of Sprint qualifying rain. And so considering that, was happy that I were able to go through to Q3 but obviously P10 is not the place I wish to be.

Asked by PlanetF1.com’s Elizabeth Blackstock where he could make up performance, the Japanese driver replied: “If I know, I’d say now! The car is not going forward.”

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