Red Bull Racing hits back at Dutch F1 GP race-fixing charge
Sep.6 - Red Bull's second team AlphaTauri has slammed those who are openly questioning if the energy drink-owned camp rigged Sunday's Dutch F1 GP.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton appeared to be in the running to win at Zandvoort until an odd problem and eventual retirement for AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda triggered a late flurry for pitstops.
Ultimately, Hamilton kept the tyres he was already running on to keep track position, enabling the fresh-tyred local hero Verstappen to comfortably win.
Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer at Red Bull Racing
Multiple pundits and social media users reacted in fury, suggesting Red Bull had fixed the race with Tsunoda's problem via the call of strategy boss Hannah Schmitz.
"If we were fighting for the championship, I would have a closer look," Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said.
"The driver stopped, undid his seatbelts, drove a full lap, pitted, the problem was not solved. They put his belts on again, he drove out and stopped the car again."
Hamilton initially vented his expletive-filled fury at his own team, which fellow world champion Jacques Villeneuve rebuked in a column for the Dutch publication Formule 1.
"He was aggressive, almost insulting. It is good that he has apologised, but this is not befitting a champion," the 1997 title winner said.
"I see a change happening at Mercedes, with George Russell rapidly developing into the leader of the team. He made the decision himself to go for that soft tyre, and with all his experience and championships Hamilton could have done the same."
Many of Hamilton's fans, however, lashed out on social media at Red Bull's strategy chief Schmitz.
"Such hateful behaviour cannot be tolerated, and to entertain accusations of foul play is unacceptable, untrue and completely disrespectful towards both Hannah and us," AlphaTauri reacted.
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Another reason to stop strategic pit stops during safety car laps.
Nothing wrong with stopping under neutralization.
The sooner pit stops are banned under safety car laps the better. Too many races are being decided by these pit stops. If you have a 10 second lead when an incident happens you should still have a 10 second lead when the race begins. Come on F1 show some common sense.
A spot-on statement that couldn’t be more accurate, although they should’ve been able to detect the issue by his re-stop for belt-tightening & tyre change from hard to soft.
Apart from only detecting the issue while leaving the pit lane rather than by re-pitting, I’ve changed my tone on this matter from a race-fixing attempt to mere situation mishandling.
Huh?
Come on! VSC and SC have been around along time. It can benefit every car on the grid, including MB. Have witnessed Lewis benfitting from it as well over his reign. Stop with the innuendos and conspiracy that the fix was in. Tsunoda screws up all the time. Lewis and MB may have thought they were suppose to win, but just like AhuDhabi, the stragedy failed and they didn’t. GR is the better driver, had his head in the game going for soft tires, Lewis screwed up.
Susan nailed it!!
Sounds like sore losers getting wrapped around the axle because hey aren't winning anymore. Another expression of arrogance and entitlement by those who ought to know better.
STFU and race, for Gawd's sake.
Sorry Canadian it was meant to be a reply to Susan,, LOL.
Sir Lulu's never in the wrong Susan its always,, always someone else's fault.
Guess no one's ever max screaming at his team and swearing etc.
They just seem to over do it with publishing LH comments
At the sharp end shit happens under pressure
Don't know why we're supposed to whinge about their whinging
I just cover my ears even though they bleep the bad words
Wouldn't want to get my mom angry with me
I can't believe how the name callers ALWAYS divert the forum to an anti LH rant, and I thought the KKK was finished
Well F6/Jax, it appears that whenever there is negative comment about Dame Lucille, you lot bang-on about how racist we all are. That's your choice.
Yet, in the years where radio transmissions have been broadcast, I have NEVER heard ANY other driver tearing their team a new asshol_ for their own screw-up. BTW, at almost every race The Dame hasn't won, he's bitched and complained to the team - over the radio. So, there is a bit of a theme here.
In the meantime, Boi George did well enough and told the pit wall what he needed. They slapped on a set of Red's and the rest is history.
So, I know you and your ilk don't like facts - especially those that prove us right - we're only commenting on the poor sportsmanship and narcissistic behavior that Dame Lucille offers up at pretty much every race weekend nowadays.
Facts don't make us racists.
Sadly CE you just jumped in and made F1’s point ! GAL
Just a thought to be fair to drivers in Q3 final speed laps who get caught out with yellow flags, red flags & vsc,s on their last flying lap "which seems a bit unfair" should they get awarded 2 extra laps to qualify, I mean, only the ones who get caught out.
Happenstance has always been part of racing. It zeroes out over time. We certainly don't need a bozo in the tower granting extra laps.
Yeah "But" 🏁🏁😎
Hamilton has fans? that's the biggest news story in this article, sheep i could understand or plastic goats but not fans, Good call George, Lucy was just desperate to show he can still win
Come on Strop you know your Hammys biggest and most obsessive fan and of course he was desperate to win but that’s no excuse for bad language. I hope young George covered his ears like Carl.
How’s his picture look on your bedroom wall by the way? I’m sticking with Emma’s it stimulates my imagination more , maybe too much at my age! but each to his own as they say.
Course ive a picture of him on my wall , it reminds me what a has been looks like......i bet the board a £1 that by the end of the year weve heard him crying in the car...lol
Still at least he has been otherwise he couldn’t be a has been, unlike the vast majority of f1 drivers who never have been and never will be.
My wife is always asking me if I have been, usually just before we go out!
Isn't doing a lap on a hot track sans belts a serious breach of the rules?
Hell,, what is hot tracks sans belts when their home. 😜
????????????
Dance music?
Tsunoda did not take a "hot lap." He limped back the pits, where, it appeared they tried to tighten his belts.
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