Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg was caught on his team radio swearing, as he realised that the AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda was closing on him during the Australian Grand Prix.
Having started the race in P12, Tsunoda pushed Hulkenberg for points in the final laps of the Grand Prix.
The second red flag restart saw chaos lead to a number of cars exiting the race, with Hulkenberg and Tsunoda putting on impressive performances, as they avoided a series of crashes to make up valuable positions.
“Tsunoda is behind me for real?” Hulkenberg asked his team over the radio after spotting the AlphaTauri in his wingmirror.
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When it was confirmed by the Haas engineer, Hulkenberg responded “S***, so he made up a lot of places too.”
Tsunoda’s move through the pack was noted by Formula 1 fans watching at home, with one noting that the Japanese driver’s “skill is outstanding, car the worst on the grid. So glad he got that point today.”
The success would be short-lived though, as the stewards reverted to the previous starting order for the third and final red flag restart, denying Hulkenberg and Tsunoda higher point-scoring places.
With Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz denied his third place finish with a five second penalty, Hulkenberg was classified in seventh, while Tsunoda would end in 10th place.
Sainz’s penalty meant that Tsunoda was denied a painful third consecutive 11th place finish.
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With one point on the board after Australia, Tsunoda solidifies his spot at AlphaTauri, as he holds a lead over his teammate Nyck de Vries in the Drivers’ Standings.
de Vries is 20th in the title race, having failed to find pace behind the wheel of the AlphaTauri in any of the three races of the 2023 season.
Hulkenberg also leads his teammate at Haas, sitting in ninth place with six points over Kevin Magnussen’s 17th place with just one point to his name.