'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Christian Horner had a terse response to McLaren boss Zak Brown's comments that Red Bull lack respect for rules. The remark had come earlier in the weekend, following the collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
At the Austrian GP, Red Bull's Max Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris were involved in an intense battle for the win. After multiple aggressive maneuvers from both sides, the duo crashed into each other.
That led to a war of words between Verstappen and Norris, with Red Bull and McLaren also getting involved. While the start of the British GP saw the drivers call time on the back-and-forth, Brown was not in a mood to relent.
Brown claimed that Red Bull have an inherent lack of respect for rules Red Bull boss Horner responded that he didn't want to dignify the comments with a reply, as quoted by PlanetF1:
“I’m not going to dignify that with an answer.”
The British GP was another of those races where the Austrian team didn't have the performance to secure a strong result. But with the help of brilliant strategy and Verstappen's driving, Red Bull achieved a P2 finish. Norris finished P3 for McLaren, as the driver was limited for being on the wrong tyre after the last pitstop.
What McLaren boss had said about Red Bull
The comments by Zak Brown were made during the team principal press conference on Friday. The McLaren team principal cited numerous past issues pertaining to Red Bull and even mentioned the Jos Verstappen-Christian Horner row. He said:
“(I was) disappointed such a great team like Red Bull, that the leadership almost encourages it because you listen on the radio to what was said. We all have a responsibility on the pit wall to tell our drivers, the do’s and don’ts and what’s going on in the race.
“So I think we need to have respect for regulations, and we’ve seen there is a lack of respect, whether it’s financial regulations or sporting or off track issues with fathers and things of that nature.”
The kind of race weekend that McLaren had, this news fell by the wayside, but in the future, a similar incident could lead to friction between the two parties. With Mercedes winning the last two races, though, there's a third contender in the mix, and that could dilute the tension in the two-horse race we have had so far.
