'It's a bad joke' - Ferrari principal Binotto apologises for comparing Tsunoda to tsunami
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto apologised on Saturday for causing upset by comparing accident-prone Japanese Formula One driver Yuki Tsunoda to a tsunami. AlphaTauri's Tsunoda has had five reprimands in 15 races, and also eight penalty points on his super-licence in the last 12 months. Twelve points in a year trigger an automatic race ban. "Certainly I need to apologise," Binotto said after being informed by a Japanese reporter at the Italian Grand Prix that comments after last weekend's race in the Netherlands had caused offence in Japan. "It was a mistake by using that word. There was no intention to do anything wrong. I'm very close to the victims which honestly I realise. "I think that Tsunoda is a fantastic driver, he's a great man and we've got a good relationship between the two. We simply called him in a way to make a simple joke, but it's a bad joke." Thousands died in Japan when a massive earthquake off its northeast coast in March 2011 set off a tsunami that swept inland and led to a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Tsunoda was caught up in a controversy at Zandvoort when he triggered a virtual safety car by stopping on track, an incident that ultimately helped Red Bull's race winner and runaway championship leader Max Verstappen.
