Yuki Tsunoda has revealed he “almost” didn’t make it to the United States, stopped by border control while trying to enter the country for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Formula 1 returns to America this weekend, with Las Vegas marking the third and final race in the United States.

Yuki Tsunoda: I almost got sent home

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

But for VCARBs Tsunoda It was a worrying few hours as the Japanese driver was stopped at border control and questioned by customs officials for several hours.

In the end, everything ended well with the entry of the Formula 1 driver.

“Luckily they let me in after some discussions,” he told media outlets including PlanetF1.com. “Well, a lot of talking, actually.

“But yeah, I almost got sent home. Everything’s okay, so I’m here now.

Tsunoda revealed that although he had the required visas to enter and had no problems upon arriving in America for the Miami or Austin races, this time around things were a little different .

“I did the visas and everything. It’s the same on the last three songs, right? I was able to go into the previous track smoothly,” he added.

“It was a bit strange to be stopped and have a real discussion. Fortunately, it didn’t last more than two or three hours. But yes, I felt like it was going to be a long journey for me.

“It’s not the first time we’ve been here this year. I’ve heard a lot of things, but I hope everything goes well in the future.

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Formula 1 staged the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last season, a race won by Max Verstappen while a gearbox problem knocked Tsunoda out of the race.

This season he hopes for a better result, but admits the cold snap that hit Las Vegas will make car setup tricky.

“I think the settings will be particularly different, like a lot of things we’ve probably never experienced, or actually a lot of things we’ve experienced well at previous circuits, which can probably help make the car faster.” , he declared. said.

“So I think we have to think of a different way to make it work on this track and in unique conditions.

“So yeah, we didn’t have a good experience last year, but I think this experience actually gives us a little bit more of an idea of ​​what we can work with, what we could do better. So yes, I hope everything goes well.

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