Christian Horner fires back at George Russell after criticism of Red Bull: “He should focus on other matters”. Christian Horner responded firmly to George Russell's remarks following the Abu Dhabi GP.

Christian Horner responded firmly to George Russell’s remarks following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, advising the British driver to focus on Mercedes’ issues rather than commenting on Red Bull. After the race, George Russell claimed that “25% of Red Bull’s engineering team was sending their resumes to Mercedes, McLaren, and Aston Martin,” referring to the aftermath of Max Verstappen’s outburst in Hungary.

George Russell’s statements, however, require context. The Mercedes driver made this comment amidst a verbal media battle with Max Verstappen, which began in Qatar and continued in Abu Dhabi, fueled by on-track incidents and penalties.

The Mercedes driver’s aim was to highlight how Max Verstappen‘s behavior in Hungary had been damaging to Red Bull’s internal environment. In Budapest, the Dutch champion criticized his team for what he considered a flawed strategy and other early-race issues, ultimately finishing fifth.

Although clearly an exaggeration meant to attack his rival, there is some truth in George Russell’s words. In 2024, Red Bull lost key figures, including Technical Director Adrian Newey, Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley, and Chief Designer Rob Marshall.

Christian Horner’s response in defense of his team was equally strong. “If I were George, I’d focus on other matters,” the Red Bull team principal stated. “I don’t know where he thinks—or who he thinks—offered their services, but all the key figures have committed to long-term contracts with the team.” – he added – “If you look at people like [Gianpiero Lambiase] and other key members of the engineering team, they are all on long-term deals. One of the less pleasant aspects of this sport is seeing how far teams will go to capitalize on others’ problems.”

“We need to remember that we came off a season where we didn’t just dominate but outright demolished the competition in 2023, winning 22 out of 23 races.”

“I’ve said it before, but the higher you rise, the sharper the knives become, and at times in 2024, they were incredibly sharp. When so much is at stake, other teams will use any tool at their disposal to try to destabilize what has been an incredibly successful team.” – the Red Bull team boss concluded.