After the contact between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during the race in Austria last weekend, many opinions about it appeared. The ultimate truth is that the incident saw Norris DNFing due to damage and Verstappen dropping out of the lead to finish in P5 with a 10-second penalty for moving under braking, according to the stewards.
The Dutchman’s team was obviously not happy about the sanction and overall end of the Grand Prix, with Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner talking to Verstappen over the radio after the chequered flag, saying: “Nevermind Max, Lando didn’t behave correctly.”
Zak Brown, the CEO of McLaren, had a lot to say about this radio message that, according to him, was very inappropriate from Horner and the whole team.
“I thought that was very incorrect. I think it’s inappropriate to be feeding your driver information that I think the rest of the world saw differently, including the stewards,” he commented when asked about it in Silverstone.
“I think it was the right decision, you have to leave a driver a full car length — width I should say — and didn’t.
“And so that’s… it’s disappointing, it’s not very sporting, but it’s kinda what we’ve come to expect out of his behaviours.”
This isn’t the first time Zak Brown has criticised Christian Horner and Red Bull. The American has been consistently going after the Red Bull team principal for quite some time.
However, when asked if he wants to speak about the lack of respect in Red Bull to Horner personally, he was quick to point out “that’s the FIA’s role”.
“I don’t really have any interest in speaking with Christian,” Brown added.
Instead, he thinks Horner should have talked to Verstappen in a way that lets him know when he has done something wrong.
“You know, if we feel our driver is needing to do something, to perform differently, or cautious on track limits, or whatever the case may be… we definitely feed to our drivers to, you know, be careful.
“You’re doing something, and they didn’t, in fact, you know, Lando had a 5-second penalty, which is a whole different story, because I don’t think when you make a move, and you go off, you give the position back, you should get a track limit for that.
“He wasn’t even, I think, notified of the 5-second penalty, and had he done, maybe Max would say ‘well, let me just tuck behind him and win this thing being two seconds behind’. But they didn’t inform him and I don’t know why they wouldn’t give him that information, because Max is a very intelligent driver and he maybe would have decided there was a different way to race for the win. But they chose not to give him that information.”
The battle between Norris and Verstappen over the win itself was called “epic” by the McLaren CEO, although he went on to mention the importance of consistent and fair stewarding: “Exciting for the fans, exciting for everyone in Formula 1. I think it was a matter of time until we saw the two of them going head-to-head. Obviously, an unfortunate outcome at what was a very small touch.
“But I think as we reflect on the weekend, I think we need — and I think this is something that the FIA agrees with — we need to invest more in our stewarding to have greater consistency and enforcement of the regulations,” Brown notes.
“I think having part-time stewards, it’s a very difficult job, it’s quite complex, and so to kind of do it on a part-time basis for the level Formula 1 is at, I think, is difficult, because Max and Lando were just duking it out as you’d expect them to do, and until someone tells Max, ‘hey, that’s against the regulations’, he’s not going to know any different. And so I think there were missed opportunities for the stewards to make note.”
With that, he comes back to the supposed lack of respect on Red Bull’s side as Brown believes they encourage Verstappen no matter what.
Brown also took at shot at all the stuff involving the team since the cost cap story broke in late 2022, including Jos Verstappen.
“Also disappointed that at such a great team like Red Bull that the leadership almost encourages it because you listen on the radio and what was said.
“We all have a responsibility on the pit wall tell our drivers the do’s and don’ts and what’s going on in the race and so I think we need to have respect for regulations and we’ve seen there be lack of respect, whether it’s financial regulations or you know sporting, on-track issues with fathers and things of that nature, and I just don’t think that’s how we need to go racing and we need to guide our drivers on what’s right or wrong. And I think had it been addressed earlier, maybe that incident wouldn’t have taken place.
“So racing incident that I think could have been avoided if the pit wall and the stewards had maybe been more on top of what the regulations say you can and can’t do,” Brown concluded.
