London – Red Bull-owned AlphaTauri condemned “accusations of foul play” against the Formula One team and Red Bull’s head of strategy after the withdrawal of Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix prompted online vitriol.
When he stopped on the side of the track, Tsunoda triggered a virtual safety car (VSC), which ultimately helped Red Bull’s race winner and championship leader, Max Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton, seven-time world champion for Mercedes, said over the radio to his crew during the race in Zandvoort, “That VSC has stuffed us.”
The sequence of events was odd, with the Japanese driver initially pulling over out of concern about a loose wheel and then returning to the pits, where he was sent out again and soon stopped.
AlphaTauri reported on Monday that they and Red Bull’s strategy chief Hannah Schmitz had been harassed online following the race.
The team added in a statement, “Such vile behavior cannot be condoned, and to consider suspicions of foul play is abhorrent, false, and completely disrespectful to both Hannah and us.”
“We have always competed independently, fairly, and with the utmost sportsmanship and respect.”
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— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) September 5, 2022
“Yuki’s malfunction was not immediately detected by the crew, causing him to stop on the track. To say otherwise is offensive and categorically false, according to the social media message.
Christian Horner, the team manager for Red Bull, and Max Verstappen, the race’s winner, both stated after the race that the virtual safety car incident had complicated matters for them.
Hamilton reposted a remark from a fan account that described Schmitz’s statements as “intolerable.”
The account later withdrew the remark, stating that it had prompted additional comments and ultimately caused more harm than good.
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