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Red Bull counters Hamilton: 'Verstappen has zero penalty points'

24 July 2021 at 10:46
Last update 24 July 2021 at 14:36
  • GPblog.com

Christian Horner thinks that the narrative that Max Verstappen was too aggressive during the GP of Great Britain are nonsense. The 44-year old Red Bull Racing team boss believes in an interview that the 23-year old driver is not to blame.

“I also felt the narrative that Max was being ‘overly aggressive’ at that stage was unjustified," Horner said as quoted by The Race. The Brit believes his Dutch driver was not to blame for anything in the opening round of the British Grand Prix. "You only have to look at the fact Max has zero penalty points on his licence and has not been found guilty of any on-track misjudgements in recent years."

From Hamilton there was some criticism of Verstappen's driving after the race. The 23-year old driver from Limburg was said to have driven too aggressively. According to Horner that is nonsense. "The aggressive 17-year-old F1 rookie Max Verstappen that Hamilton is referring to is not the Max Verstappen of today, just as Hamilton is not the same driver he was when he entered the sport," he stated.

Hamilton the culprit

Ross Brawn said afterwards that he hopes there will be no such incidents in the future. The Sporting Director believes it is better for the championship if the men do not drive each other off the track. “The reality is that Hamilton has met his match in a car that is now competitive, and I agree that both drivers need to show each other respect, but Hamilton was the aggressor on Sunday," the British chief said.