Raging & Rattled, Christian Horner Fires Major Theat to F1 Rivals

FIA is going to release the certificates of compliance with the budget cap for 2021 next week. This will make it clear if any teams breached the budget limit and, if so, what penalties they could endure. If rumors are to be believed, Aston Martin and Red Bull are suspected to have breached the cost cap regulations. The rumors invited some scathing remarks from rival teams that have angered the Red Bull boss, Christian Horner.

The rumors invited a sharp response from Mercedes and Ferrari team principals, Toto Wolff, and Mattia Binotto. Speaking on the same, both team bosses urged the FIA to take a “robust stance”. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was, however, not very pleased with their comments.

Christian Horner hits back at Mattia Binotto and Toto Wolff

Christian Horner was absolutely livid with the comments passed on the basis of rumors. He referred to FIA’s statement which said that the investigations haven’t concluded. Horner said that it was “defamatory” and “absolutely unacceptable” to pass such statements.

As per De Telegraaf, Horner said, “These are defamatory statements and absolutely unacceptable.”

“The FIA itself says they have not yet completed their investigation.”

Referring to Max Verstappen being as close as this Sunday to winning the title, the Red Bull boss indicated that these statements were no coincidence.

Moreover, Horner said that these comments were leveled by teams to deflect from their own weaknesses, reported Formula 1 journalist and writer, Phillip Horton.

Read More: What Would Happen to Red Bull and Max Verstappen if Found Guilty of Alleged Budget Cap Fraud?

As per Chris Medland, speaking during the FIA press conference, the Red Bull boss even questioned a journalist’s impartiality.

What did the Ferrari and Mercedes Team Bosses originally say about the cost cap?

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff lauded FIA’s initiative of introducing budget caps to ensure fair competition for teams with lower budgets.

He said, “The cost cap is probably the most important evolution of regulations in order to keep a level playing field.” He also said that now that these regulations are in place, the FIA needs to police them.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto in August had made a similar statement. He said, “we need to have a very strong FIA to make sure they are properly focusing, otherwise the regulations will not be fair and equitable.” 

The team boss added that the financial regulations could make a difference between how different teams were interpreting and executing them.

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The FIA is going to release the compliance certificates next week. Red Bull has taken the brunt of it all until now, although it is them who have hit back now. Only FIA can put a stop to these rumors and clear the picture.