"Insulting and categorically incorrect"- AlphaTauri extends support to Red Bull's Hannah Schmitz after Yuki Tsunoda's halt at 2022 F1 Dutch GP

AlphaTauri took a stand for Red Bull's Hannah Schmitz, the principal strategy engineer for the team, and Yuki Tsunoda. Both were the victims of heavy criticism after the Dutch Grand Prix. There were rumors about a supposed plan between the two teams that supported Red Bull in winning the race. Tsunoda retired from the race which led to a safety car, which resulted in Max Verstappen taking the win from Lewis Hamilton. AlphaTauri stated that Yuki's retirement was due to an issue that the team did not immediately detect:

"To suggest anything different is insulting and categorically incorrect."

Hamilton was potentially winning the race when Tsunoda stopped on the track after coming out of the pits. He initially stopped on the track, saying that his tires were not fitted, and was later told that it was okay. The following lap, he drove into the pits and the engineers were seen working around his steering wheel, following that he stopped on the track causing a Virtual Safety Car. Which lead to Verstappen being able to hold onto the lead of the race without struggling.

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AlphaTauri has denied the practice of any unfair means of winning a race

Red Bull have shown excellent strategy this year, and all the credit goes to Hannah Schmitz. Since AlphaTauri is their sister team, all of the issues that Yuki had were thought to be "made up" by some fans. Tsunoda was also the victim of racial abuse and the team denied any such malpractice:

"We have always competed independently, fairly and with the highest level of respect and sportsmanship. Yuki had a failure that the team didn't immediately detect."

They also said that it was disrespectful to the team and Schmitz, who work hard to help their teams get the best result out of any race:

"Such hateful behaviour cannot be tolerated, and to entertain accusations of foul play is unacceptable, untrue, and completely disrespectful towards Hannah and us."

Like any other internet rumor, this was started by a single person, which spread like wildfire across, generating more and more ideas in the minds of people.

On the polar side, there were many fans supporting both AlphaTauri and the drivers. Thus ensuring that the race win was completely legit and whatever happened was a big coincidence. Also, there was nothing official from the stewards confirming the same.