Dubai Telegraph - Horner battling to preserve Red Bull unity and reputation

EUR -
AED 4.177061
AFN 81.880746
ALL 99.252011
AMD 444.590879
ANG 2.049629
AOA 1037.158904
ARS 1294.140504
AUD 1.780172
AWG 2.047025
AZN 1.934273
BAM 1.956825
BBD 2.294803
BDT 138.092365
BGN 1.957857
BHD 0.428625
BIF 3332.101328
BMD 1.137236
BND 1.492134
BOB 7.854392
BRL 6.605289
BSD 1.136596
BTN 97.022843
BWP 15.66621
BYN 3.71968
BYR 22289.824581
BZD 2.282996
CAD 1.574122
CDF 3271.827709
CHF 0.930816
CLF 0.028662
CLP 1099.8895
CNY 8.30054
CNH 8.306047
COP 4901.486936
CRC 571.199327
CUC 1.137236
CUP 30.136753
CVE 110.766012
CZK 25.063085
DJF 202.109303
DKK 7.466602
DOP 68.805429
DZD 150.758836
EGP 58.14335
ERN 17.058539
ETB 151.279275
FJD 2.597108
FKP 0.857926
GBP 0.857288
GEL 3.11624
GGP 0.857926
GHS 17.695226
GIP 0.857926
GMD 81.308645
GNF 9843.34469
GTQ 8.754588
GYD 238.429138
HKD 8.827976
HNL 29.46444
HRK 7.529411
HTG 148.317723
HUF 408.387093
IDR 19177.096068
ILS 4.180337
IMP 0.857926
INR 97.094362
IQD 1489.779092
IRR 47906.064943
ISK 145.100319
JEP 0.857926
JMD 179.644139
JOD 0.806641
JPY 161.853129
KES 147.269042
KGS 99.205075
KHR 4566.00226
KMF 493.004864
KPW 1023.518647
KRW 1613.043966
KWD 0.34871
KYD 0.947196
KZT 594.971784
LAK 24598.413673
LBP 101896.340892
LKR 339.937138
LRD 227.418736
LSL 21.444738
LTL 3.357962
LVL 0.687903
LYD 6.220968
MAD 10.547909
MDL 19.662304
MGA 5177.713287
MKD 61.514233
MMK 2387.530139
MNT 4022.532693
MOP 9.086962
MRU 44.847502
MUR 51.277935
MVR 17.51173
MWK 1974.241931
MXN 22.425326
MYR 5.012366
MZN 72.675065
NAD 21.444738
NGN 1824.91419
NIO 41.821916
NOK 11.92757
NPR 155.236349
NZD 1.917428
OMR 0.437833
PAB 1.136596
PEN 4.279431
PGK 4.700463
PHP 64.495497
PKR 319.106406
PLN 4.278742
PYG 9097.767521
QAR 4.140223
RON 4.978935
RSD 117.291464
RUB 93.451578
RWF 1609.188866
SAR 4.267179
SBD 9.516785
SCR 16.196165
SDG 682.914226
SEK 10.940409
SGD 1.490626
SHP 0.893689
SLE 25.900597
SLL 23847.250746
SOS 649.925676
SRD 42.24872
STD 23538.488054
SVC 9.945212
SYP 14786.663141
SZL 21.402912
THB 37.923377
TJS 12.206811
TMT 3.980326
TND 3.398079
TOP 2.663519
TRY 43.420522
TTD 7.712041
TWD 36.987508
TZS 3056.319626
UAH 47.101683
UGX 4166.329832
USD 1.137236
UYU 47.664978
UZS 14768.739292
VES 91.955341
VND 29420.293975
VUV 138.799625
WST 3.16989
XAF 656.312471
XAG 0.034867
XAU 0.000342
XCD 3.073437
XDR 0.816192
XOF 653.91086
XPF 119.331742
YER 278.907389
ZAR 21.42589
ZMK 10236.488002
ZMW 32.36396
ZWL 366.189511
  • RELX

    1.0000

    52.2

    +1.92%

  • SCS

    0.0500

    9.76

    +0.51%

  • AZN

    0.5400

    67.59

    +0.8%

  • GSK

    0.5600

    35.93

    +1.56%

  • CMSD

    0.0400

    21.96

    +0.18%

  • NGG

    0.6300

    72.11

    +0.87%

  • CMSC

    0.0400

    21.82

    +0.18%

  • BTI

    0.5400

    42.37

    +1.27%

  • RBGPF

    63.5900

    63.59

    +100%

  • RIO

    1.0100

    58.17

    +1.74%

  • BCE

    0.4200

    22.04

    +1.91%

  • VOD

    0.1400

    9.31

    +1.5%

  • BCC

    0.7800

    93.47

    +0.83%

  • BP

    0.6600

    28.32

    +2.33%

  • JRI

    0.1600

    12.4

    +1.29%

  • RYCEF

    -0.1400

    9.36

    -1.5%

Horner battling to preserve Red Bull unity and reputation
Horner battling to preserve Red Bull unity and reputation / Photo: MAURO PIMENTEL - AFP

Horner battling to preserve Red Bull unity and reputation

Red Bull boss Christian Horner was battling to rescue his team’s unity and reputation on Sunday night after an acrimonious end to the Brazilian Grand Prix saw their drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in conflict.

Text size:

A testy Verstappen, who has already secured his second successive world title, refused to reveal his reasons for disobeying team orders while Perez, who was stunned by his team-mate’s surly behaviour, said he (Verstappen) had “showed who he really is.”

Perez, whose exceptional defensive driving in the final laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix helped Verstappen beat seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes to take his first drivers’ title, said he was confused by the dispute.

“I don’t understand what his reaction was. If he has two championships, it is thanks to me,” he said.

Horner called the pair together for a meeting to patch up their relationship after Verstappen refused to obey a team order to allow Perez to pass him for sixth place on the closing laps.

Red Bull wanted to support the Mexican’s bid to finish ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ title race – but they are now level on 290 points with one race to go and the Monegasque ahead on race wins.

Verstappen’s blunt refusal, broadcast on team radio, shocked Red Bull as the team struggled to their worst result since the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

“I told you already last time,” he said, responding to his race engineer. “You guys don't ask that again to me, OK? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it.”

The row between the champion team’s drivers left many paddock observers intrigued as Horner and Red Bull refused to explain Verstappen’s grievance.

“As a team, we discuss these things internally,” said Horner. “The drivers discussed it, they were very clear.

“We will go to Abu Dhabi to get ‘Checo’ the second place and Max will support that. We won’t talk about what happens internally but the drivers shook hands on it.

“We work as a team. We race as a team and our priority is to help Checo get second in the championship. We will do the best we can to achieve that and if Max can help in any way he will do.”

- 'Moved on' -

Verstappen said he and Perez had drawn a line under the dispute and moved on – just as he and Red Bull recently ‘moved on’ after a row with Sky SportsF1 over an alleged bias against the team led them to snub the broadcaster in Mexico.

On Sunday night, a journalist from the respected Amsterdam-based De Telegraaf, the Netherlands’ biggest-selling daily reported that Verstappen’s refusal was payback to Perez for costing him a chance to win the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this year.

The Mexican driver allegedly crashed deliberately in qualifying to cause a red flag stoppage that ended the session when he was third ahead of the Dutchman, it reported.

Perez then went on to win the race on Sunday and, according to the report, later confirmed to team officials that he had crashed on purpose.

Reporter Erik van Haren also posted on Twitter supporting comments made by pundit Tom Coronel on ViaPlay, which broadcasts F1 in the Netherlands, alleging Perez had admitted he crashed deliberately in Monaco to Horner and team consultant Helmut Marko. “Max Verstappen has not forgotten that,” he was quoted saying.

This latest public outburst followed last month’s revelation by the sport’s governing body the International Motoring Federation (FIA) that Red Bull had breached the sport’s $145 million (dollars) cost cap last year.

The team were fined $7 million and given a 10 per cent restriction on wind tunnel development in a punishment that Horner described as ‘draconian’.

Verstappen’s day in Sao Paulo was also marred by a collision with Hamilton on lap seven which resulted in him pitting with a broken front wing and being handed a five-second penalty for causing an accident.

Y.El-Kaaby--DT