AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost says he gave "problem child" Yuki Tsunoda a serious rap on the knuckles after his run-in with teammate Pierre Gasly at Silverstone.
The pair were running seventh and eighth in the early stages of the British Grand Prix when Tsunoda went down the inside of Gasly at the tight right-hander at Village, where a contact sent both drivers spinning off the track.
Tsunoda was handed a five-second penalty for the move and two penalty points for causing a collision, while AlphaTauri was eventually forced to retire Gasly's car due to damage sustained during the clash.
Although the Japanese driver later owned up to his blunder, an unimpressed Tost summoned his driver to his office.
"It was a nightmare for the team," Tost told the media in Austria.
"[We] were in position seven and eight and we knew that Silverstone was difficult for us, therefore we really were in good positions.
"Yuki got a little bit too impatient, tried to out-brake Pierre, lost the rear and crashed into him.
"Immediately after the race I called Yuki into my office and told him that this is absolutely a no-go and that he has to be more disciplined and patient.
"This was not the first collision between teammates and will not be the last one - hopefully with us [it will] - as we saw this in the history of F1 a couple of times.
"Nevertheless, this in any way must be avoided."
In Austria, AlphaTauri's race was a bleak affair with Gasly crossed the checkered flag P15 while Tsundo was only spared a last place finish thanks to a late penalty handed to Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel.
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko labeled Tsunoda a "problem child" who needs to put his temper under control.
The 22-year-old is undeniably struggling to improve his performance, but Tost insists the young gun is still in his development phase.
"I like 'problem children' because these are the real good children who can make something out of it. I don't like the 'holy children'," said the Austrian.
"Yuki made a mistake, he knows it and he will work on this. He is still in his development process. He is fast. He will do [it] his way. It takes a little bit of time."
©AlphaTauri
However, there are no guarantees yet that AlphaTauri will retain Tsunoda next season.
"If he continues like he did during the season, apart from crashing, I think that he has a good chance to stay with us," added Tost.
"It depends on him. If he shows a good performance, he will stay; if he doesn't show a good performance, he is out – totally easy."
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