Christian Horner Supports Max Verstappen In Pantomime Dispute With George Russell Before Abu Dhabi GP

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Red Bull's Christian Horner has supported Max Verstappen in dismissing George Russell's accusations before the Qatar Grand Prix. Russell intensified his verbal clash with Verstappen, labelling him a bully during a stewards' meeting. Verstappen countered by saying Russell's actions during the hearing, which led to a grid penalty for him, caused a loss of respect for the Mercedes driver.

Russell accused Verstappen of threatening to "put him on your f*****g head in the wall," a claim Verstappen denied to Dutch media. Verstappen maintained that Russell's attempts to penalise him in Qatar were unacceptable. Horner shared his perspective on Friday, stating, "Max does nothing but tell the truth, so I believe 100 per cent what he said to be accurate."

Horner emphasised that others present in the steward rooms were also surprised by Russell's approach. He added, "The thing with Max is he tells you straight, tells you as it is. He never lies, always tells you the truth." Horner remarked that much has been made of this situation and likened it to pantomime season.

He suggested that there might be an element of end-of-term blues but believed it wouldn't impact the grand prix itself. As the season draws to a close, tensions seem high among drivers and teams alike.

The Red Bull leader also addressed comments from Toto Wolff, who criticised Horner's leadership style by calling him a "yapping little terrier." During a press conference on Friday, Horner was given a chance to respond to these remarks.

Horner chose not to engage with Wolff's comments directly. He stated, "I'm not going to rise to the bait of that. Everybody manages their teams in different ways." Highlighting Red Bull's success, he noted their 122 race wins and 14 world championships as evidence they are doing well.

Reflecting on being called a terrier, Horner remarked that it's not necessarily negative. "To be called a terrier, is that such a bad thing? They are not afraid of having a go at the bigger dogs," he said. He expressed preference for being seen as a terrier rather than a wolf.

The ongoing rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes continues as both teams prepare for the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. The competitive spirit remains strong among drivers and team leaders alike.