When will the verbal war between McLaren and Red Bull come to an end? Despite their drivers, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen mending their rift; the bosses haven’t settled the matter yet. The incidents of the Austrian GP still haunt the CEOs – Zak Brown and Christian Horner. After all, the clash saw Norris retire due to irreparable damage and Verstappen dropped down from the lead to P5. Moreover, Verstappen’s 10-second penalty wasn’t appreciated by his team.

With Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner talking to Verstappen over the radio after the chequered flag, saying: “Nevermind Max, Lando didn’t behave correctly.” Now, McLaren boss, Zak Brown has lots to talk about this specific radio message of Horner’s. According to Brown, the message sent by Horner over the radio was inappropriate. So what did Zak Brown say?

Zak Brown takes a turn to bash Christian Horner over a radio message in Spielberg

The leader of ‘Papaya’ isn’t happy with Christian Horner’s message to Max Verstappen at the end of the Austrian GP. “Lando didn’t behave correctly,” has angered Zak Brown. And now he has taken his opportunity to criticize Horner and his team. “I thought that was very incorrect. I think it’s inappropriate to be feeding your driver information that I think the rest of the world saw differently, including the stewards,” Brown commented when asked about it in Silverstone, adding, “I think it was the right decision, you have to leave a driver a full car length — width I should say — and didn’t.” 

Reiterating, Verstappen’s ‘width’ term, Zak Brown continued with his bashing. “It’s disappointing, it’s not very sporting, but it’s kinda what we’ve come to expect out of his behaviors.” Brown shared his disappointment. However, this isn’t the first time that the McLaren boss criticized Christian Horner and Red Bull. Zak Brown has from time to time picked on the Red Bull CEO, throughout the season so far. Zak went to the extent of commenting, “I don’t really have any interest in speaking with Christian.” He said so because he felt the Red Bull team principal should’ve talked to Max to let him know that he was ‘wrong’.

Brown also pointed out that the teams must be responsible for conveying the required information at the right time before accidents as seen in Spielberg take place. However, the battle between Lando and Max has now been tagged as “epic” by Zak Brown himself. An epic battle indeed! The race which at one point looked like ‘just another easy win’ Max Verstappen quickly escalated to a whole new level with Norris tailing behind him. Despite the unfortunate results, this race is for the history books.

Meanwhile, McLaren and Mercedes shared an endearing moment of camaraderie. Zak Brown sent a letter of gratitude to Toto Wolff‘s team after their kind gesture ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix, which saw the McLaren hospitality catch fire.

Toto Wolff’s kindness earns him appreciation from Zak Brown’s

McLaren’s hospitality at Circuit de Catalunya had caught fire and led to the immediate evacuation of the members. Leaving the team out, with no place to relax, Mercedes seemed to have stood up for them. Toto Wolff’s squad helped McLaren in their perilous situation. Mercedes must have provided certain facilities that helped McLaren after the fire incident. Now, addressing Toto’s kindness, Zak Brown has expressed his gratitude through a heartfelt letter.

Brown wrote: “A big thank you for your offer of assistance to our team and guests over the Spanish GP weekend. It was very much appreciated and was a great example of the spirit of Formula 1. The fiercest competition on track, and the strongest community off it.” What a wonderful gesture from both sides, no matter how tough the battle gets, help is always on its way when needed. The true essence of sports lies in this sense of brotherhood which Mercedes showcased by helping McLaren.

Despite all comradeship, F1 continues to roll through the tempestuous lanes of competition. While Christian Horner and Zak Brown’s relationship portrays the rivalry in F1; Mercedes’ helpful hands showcase the thriving empathy among the teams. However, with the British Grand Prix going on, all eyes are on these top teams. Which side of F1 will they highlight is a question worth betting on.

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