Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes that swifter decisions from the race director during Formula 1 races would alleviate the need for teams to “second-guess” the stewards` rulings. He made these comments following the chaotic conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix for Max Verstappen.
The incident between Verstappen and George Russell on lap 64, for which Max later accepted responsibility, took place on the same lap Red Bull instructed him to yield his position to his Mercedes competitor.
This instruction was prompted by a situation three laps prior, immediately after a late Safety Car restart. Verstappen had gone wide off the track but remained ahead of Russell after their wheels touched in Turn One during the Briton`s overtaking attempt.
That initial contact was flagged for investigation by Race Control. Anticipating a time penalty for their driver, Red Bull quickly asked Verstappen to let Russell past. A visibly frustrated Verstappen disputed this call over the team radio. Shortly thereafter, the collision with Russell occurred on lap 64, resulting in a 10-second penalty for Verstappen.
However, official FIA documents released after the race indicated that stewards would not have issued any penalty to Verstappen for the original Turn One incident.
Stewards determined that Russell had triggered the contact by “momentarily losing control of the car,” which consequently forced the Red Bull off track. Based on this, no further action was deemed necessary for the first incident.
Speaking on Sunday evening, Horner elaborated on why they had told Verstappen to drop behind Russell before any official decision from the stewards had been communicated.
“The way that these regulations are now, it`s all about where that front axle is,” the Red Bull team principal stated, referencing F1`s updated Driving Standards Guidelines. “The drivers know the rules, and they`re the rules that they`re playing to. The argument is, was George under control at that point in time? Would he have made the corner?”
“Now, we`ve seen so many occasions this year where penalties have been given. We`ve seen it been noted. We`ve seen it gone to the stewards. The next thing is you`re expecting to get a penalty, so that`s why it was, `OK, do you know what? We`re going to have to give this place up.`”
When asked if, in hindsight, it had been a mistake to ask Verstappen to cede the position, Horner replied: “Yes, but I think that`s where it would be nice, as the referee, as the race director, to either say play on or you need to give it back.”
“I think it`s very hard for the team, subjectively, to try and make that call because you`re going on historical precedence. You`re looking at what you have in front of you, and you`re trying to pre-empt what the stewards and the race director are thinking.”
“So I think it would be beneficial to the teams, in that instance, for the race director to make that call and say you either give it back or you get a penalty, rather than having to try and second-guess what the stewards are going to do.”
Horner also called for better communication with Race Control.
In-race communication between teams` pit walls and the race director has been restricted to sporting directors since the 2022 season. This change followed the increased and often contentious direct interventions from team principals, notably Horner and Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff, during the intense 2021 championship battle between Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Asked if teams can still contact the race director, currently Rui Marques, Horner responded: “Yes, but you get nothing back. So you ask the question, but you get nothing back.”
He added: “You used to get some guidance, but now it`s very subjective for the team to make that call.”
“We looked at all the slow-mos, and it was really 50-50. And the question was, was George in control of the car? Could he have made the corner? It seemed like he could have.”
“So we made the decision, saying: `look, we need to give this place up.`”
Asked if he intends to raise the issue with Marques, Horner said: “I think it`s something in the SAC [Sporting Advisory Committee] that should be discussed.”
Gilbert Pendleton 
Wesley Dunham