Yuki Tsunoda has to drop ten grid places for the Italian Grand Prix. The Japanese has collected five reprimands this season which earned him a huge penalty.
Tsunoda received a reprimand after the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, the so-called change drivingBecause he had already loosened his seat belts a bit after he stopped. He then returned to the pit lane, where the seat belts were tightened again. Since the hosts did not know how loose the seat belts were, Tsunoda was reprimanded.
It was his fifth reprimand of the season, which is punishable by a ten-place penalty. Tsunoda has previously received reprimands in Bahrain, Australia (twice) and Monaco.
Also read: Tsunoda has advice for conspiracy theorists: ‘Get a scan of your brain’
The moment at the Grand Prix of the Netherlands caused a stir on social media. There have been conspiracy theories that Tsunoda would have parked his AlphaTauri next to the track in order to operate a safety car to assist Max Verstappen. The team firmly distanced itself from the accusations, as did Tsunoda himself.
“It’s a very simple fact that there was a problem with the car and we confirmed it was a differential problem,” Tsunoda said. “Of course, the situation made it a bit confusing. But there is no room to complain to the team, to me and especially to Red Bull. To be honest, it is a really crazy story.”
“I wonder what your brain looks like, get an MRI and see what’s wrong,” he added. “It’s funny how they make up a story. Red Bull and AlphaTauri are two completely different teams. We’re in Italy, and they’re in England. We’re competing in a completely different field.”
