Yuki Tsunoda’s amusing misheard “beaver” radio confusion

Yuki Tsunoda mistakenly thought his RB team were trying to warn him about a “beaver” during the F1 Qatar Grand Prix.

The Japanese driver revealed he was left confused about a radio message he misheard when he believed his team were informing him there was a beaver on track.

RB were actually warning Tsunoda about a loose mirror which had fallen off Alex Albon’s Williams during Sunday’s chaotic race at the Lusail International Circuit.

The mirror was hit by Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, causing it to shatter and spread debris all over the pit straight.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton both picked up punctures before the Safety Car was deployed shortly afterwards.

When asked if he had seen the mirror, Tsunoda said: “Was it mirror? I heard beaver.

“My engineers said: 'There's a beaver.' But why is there a beaver in the Middle East? Like how is it possible a beaver is in the Middle East?

“But okay, maybe there's a surprise with global warming - kicking a lot of interesting things in the Earth.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner joked “that is quite a change” when he was told about Tsunoda’s radio confusion.

Drivers didn’t ‘respect’ yellow flags

Tsunoda claimed some drivers did not “respect” the yellow flags that were waved after the mirror fell onto the circuit.

McLaren’s Lando Norris was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags, dropping him from second to 10th.

Tsunoda, who finished 13th in Qatar, expects the issue to be raised at the next drivers’ meeting at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“There was the double yellow and some cars behind didn't really follow it,” he said.

“So we have to revise that in the next drivers' briefing that some driver does respect it, and some driver doesn't respect it. That's very unfair.”

RB endured a frustrating weekend in Qatar as they lost further ground to Alpine and Haas in the battle for sixth place in the constructors’ championship.

The Faenza outfit lie eighth on 46 points, eight behind Haas and 13 adrift of Alpine heading into next weekend’s Abu Dhabi finale.