Tsunoda: F1 fans starting conspiracy theories need brain scan

The circumstances around Tsunoda’s retirement at Zandvoort prompted wild conspiracy theories and accusations of foul play against AlphaTauri after the resulting Virtual Safety Car played into the hands of their sister team Red Bull and Max Verstappen. 

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton had been catching Verstappen for the lead when Tsunoda’s car broke down for the second time in two laps, causing a VSC that allowed Verstappen to make what was effectively a free pit stop and retain his lead. 

Verstappen later passed Hamilton on his way to winning the race after switching to soft tyres under a separate Safety Car period, while Hamilton stayed out on mediums. 

Asked if he can understand why fans were cynical about the incident given the relationship between Red Bull and AlphaTauri, Tsunoda replied: “First I don’t want to know! I don’t care. 

“I want to ask how your brain is created, what your brain looks like, scan the MRI and see what’s wrong. It’s funny how they create a story. 

“Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri are completely different teams, we are in Italy, they are in the UK. We compete in a completely different field.”

Tsunoda added: “It’s funny that fans are really excited to always create a story. 

“It’s just a super simple fact that there was an issue in the car and we’ve confirmed it was a differential issue. Of course, the situation made it a little bit confusing. 

“But there’s not such a room to complain to the team, myself and also especially to Red Bull, such, to be honest, a crazy, crazy story. 

“I was also running in a good opportunity to score points. So, there’s not any reason to help Max, you know?”

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff called for AlphaTauri to face a full investigation into the stoppage, but Tsunoda stressed the team has nothing to hide. 

“[He can] investigate as much as he wants,” Tsunoda said. “There’s not anything new that’s going to pop up.”