The Red Bull team principal investigated for offending the steward who displayed the yellow flag costing Verstappen the penalty: “I didn’t want to offend, it was just frustration”
It is an F1 World Championship that takes place on and off the track. After the investigations following yesterday’s qualifying, costing Max Verstappen the setback on the starting grid, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was also under investigation today. After the proceedings, Horner was cautioned for having offended a track commissioner, even if the FIA did not take a hand stating that they accepted the manager’s apology. The stewards also accepted Horner’s offer to apologize to the commissioner, explain to the media that he had no plans to offend, and participate in next year’s Stewards training program.
Double violation
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Following the penalty inflicted on Verstappen, Horner had called the commissioner a “rogue” who had waved the yellow flag, displayed in Q3 to signal that Pierre Gasly was proceeding slowly. But while the electronic signals were turned off, the commissioner continued to wave the yellow flag, which was then ignored by Verstappen. The stewards reported Horner’s statements: “He issued a statement accusing the commissioner who waved the double yellow flag according to point 16.6 as a ‘Rogue Marshal'”. In doing so, the team principal violated two articles of the International Sporting Code which prohibit comments that “cause moral damage to the FIA” and “any misconduct towards its officials”.
Frustration
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According to the stewards Horner “explained that his reaction was made under the pressure of competition following the penalty imposed on the driver of the car 33 [Verstappen]”. “The stewards explained that the commissioner in question was carrying out his work exactly in the manner prescribed by the International Sporting Code”. After his meeting with the stewards, Horner retracted his accusations: “I spoke to the FIA, I apologized if an offense was created in any way because it was not the intention. My frustration wasn’t with a single commissioner, it was with a situation where a car had passed, there was no yellow, a car gets a single yellow, a car gets a double yellow, it’s the inconsistency on this. As a sport, we can learn from this. However, I apologize if my words were interpreted as an offense “.
November 21, 2021 (change November 21, 2021 | 22:16)
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