Gary Anderson, former F1 car designer and now technical expert for The Race, has dismissed all conspiracy theories following Yuki Tsunoda’s bizarre retirement from the Zandvoort race..
The rumors of a conspiracy that AlphaTauri deliberately initiated the introduction of a virtual safety car (VSC) mode to help Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing win the Dutch Grand Prix are utter nonsense, and I am not surprised that this team rejects such assumptions.
The reason why AlphaTauri could not directly diagnose the problem with Yuki Tsunoda’s car is understandable.
I’m pretty sure when he pulled out of the pits after his second pit stop, on his AT03 either the differential was broken or one of the drivetrains failed. At the same time, the racer sensed something was wrong on one side of the car, so he suggested the wheel was loose. Then the team discovered that the problem was related to the differential.
But the driver thought about the unfixed wheel first, which makes sense as he had just been to the pit stop and informed the team about it. He felt a certain imbalance, but this was just a result of another problem.
Tsunoda stopped and unfastened his seat belts when he thought the race was over for him. But when the team realized that all the wheels were properly attached and no other problems were apparent, they were told to continue. When the car is stationary, it is difficult for the team to see if everything is OK with the rear-wheel drive.
Yuki slowly returned to the pits and at the same time it is impossible to understand what is happening with the differential and with the drives, because both rear wheels turn at the same speed. In this situation, AlphaTauri engineers might have thought everything was fine.
In the boxes on the Japanese car, the wheels were changed again, after which the mechanics took the time to fasten the seat belts. He already reported on the radio that they had been unbuttoned so that the stewards were aware of the problem, for which he was later given a warning. However, a malfunction of the drive system did not reveal the team at the time.
But as soon as the car left the pits, it was immediately apparent that the torque was not being transferred to one of the rear wheels. Tsunoda radioed the team that the problem persisted, and this time suggested it might have something to do with the differential.
He probably could have picked a more appropriate place to stop, for example on the outside of the track at Turn 3, where the car would be easier to evacuate. But it turned out that it happened, and in any case, it most likely would not have been possible without the introduction of VSC mode.
And if anyone thinks that Red Bull could conceive and execute such a scenario during the race, despite the fact that English is not Yuki’s native language, then this is absolute nonsense.
Mercedes ruined the race themselves when they decided not to invite Lewis Hamilton into the pits when the safety car came onto the track, although they acted with the best of intentions as they expected to fight for the win.
The introduction of VSC mode due to Tsunoda’s stop didn’t allow Mercedes to run the entire race with a single pit stop and try to win it, but that’s life. However, if this mode is announced at the wrong time because someone’s car stops on the track, it does not mean that there is anything suspicious in such situations.
It is important to emphasize that Mercedes did not try to complain or protest, even if they had some doubts. They simply had to admit their own miscalculations, but they resisted the temptation to blame AlphaTauri for anything.
When we talk about Red Bull Racing, what can this team win? She already leads confidently in both championships and Verstappen could most likely take the race to victory, even if Mercedes managed to implement the one pit stop tactic.
In general, as is often the case with conspiracy theories, this one too is completely untenable.
Source: F1 News

I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.