McLaren boss Zak Brown has accused Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner of a âlack of respectâ â and encouraging Max Verstappen to break Formula Oneâs rules.
A day after Lando Norris retracted his demand for Verstappen to apologise after their coming together at last weekendâs Austrian Grand Prix, Brown went on the offensive against the Dutch driverâs Red Bull team.
Verstappen was punished with a 10-second penalty for causing the collision with Norris in Spielberg.
But following the race, Horner told Verstappen over the radio that Norris âdid not behave correctlyâ and that his star driver âwas desperately unluckyâ.
âUntil someone tells Max thatâs against the regulations, heâs not going to know any differently,â said Brown ahead of Sundayâs British Grand Prix. âIt is disappointing that such a great team like Red Bull almost encourages it.
âYou listen on the radio as to what was said, and we all have a responsibility on the pit-wall to tell our drivers the dos and donâts in the races. We need to have respect for the regulations.â
Brown then referenced Red Bullâs spending breach in 2022 â which he said at the time constituted âcheatingâ â before alluding to Hornerâs sour relationship with Verstappenâs father, Jos.
Brown continued: âWeâve seen a lack of respect (at Red Bull), whether itâs financial regulations or sporting on-track issues, or with fathers and things of that nature.
âWe should guide our drivers on what is right or wrong. Had it been addressed earlier then maybe that incident wouldnât have taken place.
âIt was a racing incident, but one that could have been avoided if the pit-wall or the stewards were more on top of the regulations.â
Asked if he will bring the matter up with Horner, Brown said: âI donât really have any interest in speaking with Christian.â
Norris, 24, heads into his home race at Silverstone as the main contender to Verstappenâs crown.
But Norrisâ climbdown in his row with Verstappen could be argued as a psychological victory for the sportâs all-conquering Dutchman.
However, perhaps not surprisingly, Brown stood by his driver, who trails leader Verstappen by 81 points in the standings.
âI donât think that is the case at all,â said Brown. âLando wants to move on from last weekend.
âSome drivers might enjoy a public spat but he and Max have a very strong relationship off the track. What they spoke about is between them but they both want to move on and get back to racing each other real hard on track.
âThereâs a difference between what a driver is like when the helmet goes on and the visor goes down and what theyâre like Monday through to Thursday.
âA lot of world champions are sweethearts outside of the race car, but pretty fierce when the helmet goes on.â
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