Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that the incident between Max Verstappen and George Russell in Spain exposes a problem within the FIA. The clash between the two drivers occurred after confusion arose within Red Bull about whether Verstappen should or should not give back the position to Russell. ‘It would be nice if the race direction would immediately give a verdict in the aftermath,’ concludes Horner.
The clash between Max Verstappen and George Russell during the Spanish Grand Prix is still the topic of discussion a day after the race. The incident resulted from confusion within Red Bull about the Brit’s earlier overtaking attempt. Russell tried to overtake Verstappen shortly after the restart of the Spanish race, forcing the Dutchman to go wide to avoid a collision. Red Bull then thought that Verstappen had to give back the position to Russell, much to the Dutchman’s displeasure, leading to the second clash between the two.
Greater Clarity from Race Direction
The altercation between Max Verstappen and Russell could have been avoided. The FIA agreed with the world champion after the race that he indeed did not have to let the Mercedes driver pass. According to team boss Christian Horner, the whole debacle exposes a significant issue within the FIA. “It would be nice if the referee or the race director would immediately say: ‘Drive on’ or: ‘You have to give back the position’,” Horner explains to The Race. “It’s very difficult for the team to make that decision subjectively, because you’re relying on historical precedents.”
“You look at what you have in front of you and you try to anticipate what the stewards and the race director think,” continues the British team boss. “It would be beneficial for the teams if the race director would make that decision immediately and say: ‘Either you give it back or you get a penalty’, instead of teams having to guess what the stewards are going to do.” Red Bull decided to play it safe by asking Verstappen to give the place back to Russell.
It’s only in the last few years that teams have had to guess the decision of the race direction. The teams used to be able to directly discuss incidents during the race with the leadership. However, this changed at the beginning of the 2022 season, when then race director Niels Wittich put an end to the direct communication possibilities.
