'Disappointed' Brown And Wolff Hit At Red Bull For 'One-Dimensional' Comments

Saturday, 06 July 2024 at 12:00

Zak Brown in McLaren team clothes, wearing a headset on the McLaren pit wall with a blurry background.

McLaren CEO Zak Brown and Mercedes's team principal Toto Wolff asserted that Red Bull's response to the incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris was inappropriate.

Although stewards deemed Max Verstappen predominantly at fault during the collision with Lando Norris at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull didn't for a second admit any mistake.

While Christian Horner suggested it was just tough racing and he thought a ten-second penalty was too harsh, Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko went as far as to say Lando Norris was the one more at fault.

Addressing the reaction of the team from Milton Keynes to the incident involving their driver, not taking any kind of responsibility, Zak Brown suggested he was disappointed:

"I'm also disappointed in such a great team like Red Bull, that the leadership almost encourages it."

"Because you listen on the radio what was said, we all have a responsibility on pit wall to tell our drivers the 'do's and don'ts' of what's going on in the race."

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The main problem that McLaren had with the triple World Champion's driving style and the incident was the change of direction under braking.

It might be valid to mention that the driver involved in the incident, Lando Norris, changed his opinion about it in the meantime. Although he didn't say he wouldn't give Verstappen a penalty, he said it was hard racing and that he didn't need any kind of apology. Brown continued:

"I think when you can have respect for regulations, and we've seen there be lack of respect whether it's financial regulations or sporting or on-track, issues with fathers and things of that nature, I just don't think that's how we need to go racing."

"We need to guide our drivers on what's right or wrong and I think had it been addressed earlier, maybe that incident wouldn't have taken place."

Mercedes's team principal, Toto Wolff, also chimed in. He said he heard the comments from the Red Bull Racing garage and felt they were amusingly "one-dimensional."

"I tend to agree with Zak, it's always amusing to see just one-dimensional comments of team principals where you think, let's be a little bit objective at least."