Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is supporting Max Verstappen in the “battle” with the FIA, and to clarify his stance, he used a particular comparison involving members of the royal family. The Max Verstappen – FIA issue became increasingly heated during the Singapore Grand Prix.
It all started when FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem asked the drivers to tone down their use of foul language on the radio. In that instance, the president was also accused of racism by Lewis Hamilton after saying that “drivers are not rappers to be using that language.”
Max Verstappen, however, responded in his own way during the press conference, using language that needed to be censored. As a result, the FIA reprimanded him and assigned him community service to “pay for his offense.” The back-and-forth lasted throughout the Singapore weekend and sparked discussions across the paddock.
Christian Horner also spoke on the matter, and he did not shy away from defending his driver. “I completely understand that drivers are role models for everyone and that hearing them swear is not ideal, but this is not the right way to address the issue.” – the Red Bull team principal pointed out.
To further clarify his point, Christian Horner made a comparison with the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. “Max is a driver whose native language isn’t even English. He’s already using a language that isn’t his own. Even a member of the royal family once told a photographer to ‘take a f*****g picture.’ So reactions must be relative to the context,” concluded the Red Bull team principal.
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