Brown says Red Bull 'encourages' Verstappen's aggressive behavior on track

We thought the tensions had eased at Silverstone, a week after the stormy Austrian Grand Prix and the clash between Max Verstappen et Lando Norris. You have to believe that Christian Horner and Zak Brown like to add fuel to the fire! In England, the two leaders returned to the charge, each with their little barbs addressed to the opposite camp. On the one hand, the main director of the stable Red Bull claimed the British driver was “too nice” in his battle with the Dutchman at Spielberg. A statement that did not please the CEO of Mclaren racing...

Guest at a press conference on the sidelines of the British Grand Prix, the American returned at length to this incident, regretting a lack of consistency in the decisions taken by the stewards... and while attacking Christian Horner and the attitude of the Red Bull team.

“It was an epic battle, exciting for the fans and the F1. It was only a matter of time before we saw these two face off. But taking a step back from this weekend (…) we must invest more in our commissioners in order to ensure greater consistency in the application of the regulations, underlined Zak Brown. Being a part-time commissioner is a very difficult job (…) for the standing of Formula 1. Max and Lando were predictably fighting until someone said to Max: ' It's against the rules, it won't change. The commissioners therefore missed opportunities to take note. »

“I am also disappointed that in such a big team like Red Bull, the management almost encourages [Max Verstappen] when 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 during the race,” he added, referring to the Dutchman's muscular and limited defense and the lack of communication on the part of the Austrian team during the incident.

Red Bull " lack of respect " towards the regulations

Visibly annoyed by the subject, Zak Brown even went so far as to compare this situation with other past controversies, notably the exceeding of the budget cap after the 2021 season, where Red Bull had exceeded the “budget cap” of 1,8 million of pounds sterling.

“This is a question of ethics, a question of safety and respect for regulations. We saw that there was a lack of respect [from Red Bull], whether it was financial or sporting regulations or on the track, problems with parents (in reference to the disagreements between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner , Ed.) and things of that nature, said McLaren Racing boss. I just don't think that's the way we should race. We need to guide our pilots on what is good or bad and I think if this had been addressed earlier maybe this incident would not have happened. »

An attack which further spices up the emerging rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren, while the British team begins to gain the upper hand over the Austrian team on the track. The American, being the good communicator that he is, also clarified that he had no “no interest in speaking with Christian [Horner]” about this incident. Obviously, Zak Brown and Christian Horner will not be spending their vacation together…

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