The accusations on social media have been fueled by the impact of the virtual safety car on the race following Tsunoda’s retirement, favoring Max Verstappen over Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Red Bull’s chief strategist, Hannah Schmitz, has therefore been the victim of online abuse.
The drama began when, coming out of his pit stop, Tsunoda suspected that a wheel was not properly fixed.
His engineer told him to pull over on the track, and after doing so, he cut his engine and prepared to abandon the car.
However, the team’s data told him that the pit stop had gone as planned and the wheels were safely secured, so he was told to restart and return to the pits, where he could take a new set of tires.
When he stopped on the track, he had loosened his seat belts as he was about to exit, and had to be tightened again during the additional stop, costing him time and attracting the attention of the commissioners.
As soon as he left the pitbox, Tsunoda reported that he could still feel the same problem, suggesting it could be related to the car’s differential. He was told to continue out of the pit lane to keep the exit clear and find a safe place to park before turning off and getting out of the car.
The ensuing VSC gave leader Verstappen a cheap second stop for fresh tyres. Meanwhile, Hamilton and Russell lost the advantage they were supposed to have, the race went under normal conditions and they raced to the flag as planned without needing a second pit stop.
Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer at Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Although the whole episode looked eerie on TV at the time, a review of onboard footage and radio conversations confirmed it was a simple case where the crew and driver didn’t know. what was wrong and reacted as best they could to the unusual circumstances.
The FIA stewards looked into the matter immediately after the race, and the only action they took was to reprimand Tsunoda for driving with his seat belts loose.
However, suggestions of a conspiracy between the Red Bull and AlphaTauri teams quickly emerged on social media, with abuse directed at Schmitz.
AlphaTauri responded Monday with a statement denying the theories and defending Schmitz.
“It is incredibly discouraging to read some of the words and comments directed at our team and Red Bull Racing’s Chief Strategy Officer, Hannah Schmitz,” the statement read.
“Such hateful behavior cannot be tolerated, and to entertain accusations of foul play is unacceptable, wrong, and completely disrespectful to Hannah and us.
“We have always competed independently, fairly and with the highest levels of respect and sportsmanship.
“Yuki had a breakdown that the team did not immediately detect, which caused him to stop on the track. To suggest anything different is insulting and categorically incorrect.
