Christian Horner sticks to his remarks about Mercedes’ celebrations
In his regular column, Christian Horner reiterated his comments about Mercedes' celebrations after Lewis Hamilton's victory. The Red Bull team had qualified them as disrespectful.
Christian Horner is furious after the celebrations of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone. Last Sunday, the British and Max Verstappen collided on the first lap, and this accident forced the Dutchman to retire. Despite a 10-second penalty, Hamilton managed to win for the 99th time in his career.
After crossing the checkered flag, Hamilton celebrated his victory, as is customary, with the 140,000 fans gathered in the stands of the Silverstone circuit. The celebrations were not to the liking of the Red Bull team, as Max Verstappen was still in the hospital at the time. On Instagram, the Dutchman described these celebrations as unsportsmanlike and disrespectful.
After becoming aware of Red Bull’s attacks, Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff felt they were too personal. In his regular column, Christian Horner wanted to respond to his counterpart and said he was disappointed by the German team’s celebrations.
« I would like to respond to some statements I saw from Toto, who allegedly said that our comments about Hamilton causing the accident were ‘too personal’.
« I would like things to be clear. It was an incident on the track between two of the best drivers in the world. When you have a driver in the hospital and the extent of the injuries is not yet clear, when your car has been destroyed and the stewards have penalized the driver considered responsible, it is natural for emotions to come into play, for all parties involved, whether you feel wronged or victorious.
« I also believe that the story that Max was ‘too aggressive’ at this point was unfounded. Just look at the fact that Max has no penalty points on his License and has not been found guilty of any judgment errors on the track in recent years. The aggressive 17-year-old Max Verstappen, starting out in F1, that Hamilton refers to is not the same as the Max Verstappen of today, just as Hamilton is not the same driver he was when he entered the discipline. »
« The two drivers are of course uncompromising in their driving style, but they are both very talented drivers with a lot of experience. The reality is that Hamilton has met his match in a car that is now competitive, and I agree that both drivers must show respect, but Hamilton was the aggressor on Sunday.
« I am… always disappointed by the level of celebration that followed the accident. The Mercedes team was aware of the seriousness of the accident, as Max had been widely reported as being hospitalized and needing further medical examinations. It is unimaginable not to inform one’s driver of the situation, and above all to protect him in case he does not show the necessary restraint in celebrating, especially when it is following an incident for which he has been penalized. »
