Tsunoda explains US Customs ordeal after he "nearly got sent back home"

Yuki Tsunoda has revealed that he feared being sent back home after being stopped by immigration for questioning on his arrival in the United States ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. 

The Japanese flew into America for a promotional event at Las Vegas earlier this week but faced dramas at the airport – being pulled aside and interviewed amid some doubts about whether or not he should be let into the country.

While matters were sorted in the end, Tsunoda admitted there were moments where he thought he would be denied entry.

“Luckily they let me in after a couple of discussions, a lot of discussions, actually,” the RB driver said. “I nearly got sent back home. Everything is all good now but yeah, luckily I'm here.”

Speaking about being taken into a side room for questioning, Tsunoda explained that he tried to have his situation better explained by others but he was not allowed to communicate with anyone.

“There was my physio that I travel with,” he said. “Obviously when you go through customs, you go individually, right?

Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT04

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

"And suddenly he [the official] just put me in the room and when I had a conversation I was like: can I bring the person that I'm going to travel with? Maybe he can help a little bit to explain a bit more about myself and the situation in Formula 1?

“But they didn't allow me to bring them or even call anyone. I wanted to call the team as well, or maybe F1 so they can help me. But in that room, you can't do anything."

Tsunoda said he did not know what the issue was as he claimed he had the right visas in place, and he had also been through the USA recently without trouble as part of the Austin/Mexico/Brazil triple header.

“I did the visas and everything,” he said. “It's been a shame. I guess with the last three, I was able to enter smoothly. So it felt a bit strange that I got stopped and had a proper discussion.”

However, he suggests that immigration may not have believed that he was an F1 driver because he was dressed quite casually.

“Maybe I was wearing pyjamas and the colour looks like a... I don't know,” he said. “It just feels that I got a lot of pressure from them, and I couldn't say anything. Otherwise if I say something I feel like I'm more in trouble. Luckily I went through smoothly.”