Since he landed in the highest category of motorsports, Yuki Tsunoda has been the subject of many jokes and taunts by fans for his height , and the fact is that the Japanese is one of the shortest drivers in history. However, all these types of comments, especially on social networks, are in an affectionate tone with that of AlphaTauri, even he can take the words of many of his followers with humor.
Therefore, that repeated mockery with affection on the part of everyone with the Japanese is not bad with him, but in the last Grand Prix of the Netherlands, there was something that bothered Tsunoda’s environment. It was a comment from Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto , who mocked the Japanese’s name after he caused chaos by retiring from the race at Zandvoort.
The one from Sagamihara stopped his AT03 in the middle of the track, reporting on the radio that his wheels were not tight, to which his team replied that he could continue the test. However, the Japanese had unfastened his belts, which meant that he had to go through the pits so that his mechanics could put it back on correctly.
After a few meters, the AlphaTauri driver stopped again, and at that moment he assured that it was a mechanical problem, so he stopped, again, on the circuit, causing the departure of a virtual safety car with which Max Verstappen took the opportunity to win.
For this reason, the director of Ferrari called Tsunoda “tsunami” in a play on words that did not sit well with some people present and Japanese, since it recalled the natural disaster that occurred in 2011 on the coast of the country of the Rising Sun that claimed the lives of more than a thousand people, but Binotto clarified that he did not do it with bad intentions.
“It was a mistake to use that word, I didn’t want to do anything wrong, I sympathize with all the victims,” explained the Swiss. “I think Tsunoda is a fantastic pilot, and a great person. It was just a joke, but a bad one, I admit.”
Do you want to read our news before anyone else and for free? Follow us here on our Telegram channel and you won’t miss a thing. All the information, at your fingertips!
