Horner HITS BACK at rival boss over 'unfair' Verstappen criticism

Christian Horner has hit back at a rival Formula 1 boss over his 'unfair' criticism of Max Verstappen.

His response comes as the fallout from Sunday's action-packed Austria Grand Prix continues to dominate the headlines.

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George Russell clinched just his second career F1 win at the Red Bull Ring, but the Mercedes star's triumph only told half the story of what was a thrilling race.

The Brit was the beneficiary of a late collision between Verstappen and championship rival Lando Norris as the top two went wheel-to-wheel in pursuit of a vital victory.

The pair came together as Verstappen defended a bold overtake from his McLaren counterpart on Lap 64, with both suffering punctures as a result.

The reigning champion was able to recover and secure a P5 finish, while Norris was forced to retire as he fell further behind in the drivers' standings.

Verstappen-Norris conflict 'has been building'

Despite being penalised for his role in the incident, Verstappen remained defiant post-race, much to the frustration of Norris who suggested their friendship was under threat.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella backed his star man, hinting that a similar incident involving Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton back in 2021 played a key role in the FIA's decision not to enforce a stronger penalty.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Horner admitted he understood the Italian's frustrations, but insisted he was wrong to bring up previous collisions.

"He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he's a tough racer, and he hasn't really been racing anyone for two years because he's been out front so much," Horner said.

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"The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they've been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over - and it did at Turn 3.

"He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis, who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.

"I think it's wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I'm sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that's just tough racing.

"He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years - he of all people should know that."

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