Max Verstappen is never afraid to voice his opinions, and Red Bull boss Christian Horner has intervened following the driver’s comments made during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
According to David Coulthard, Christian Horner will have felt compelled to step in after Max Verstappen’s comments regarding the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen marked his 18th victory this season after winning the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, as he already secured the 2023 Formula 1 drivers’ championship. However, this did not prevent him from criticizing the grand prix, describing it a “99 per cent show and one per cent sporting event”.
The triple world champion proceeded to criticise the event further, drawing negative parallels to the venerable Monaco Grand Prix.
Coulthard expressed his feelings about the remarks and anticipated Horner’s response. The former F1 driver commented on how he hoped Liberty Media which owns Formula 1 would respond to the remarks in light of their significant investment in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“Of course, they(Formula 1) won’t like it,” he said. “They will just think about bottom-line investment.
“They are cold, hard business people, at the end of the day. One shoe doesn’t fit all.
“If Max fits into the grumpy, 85-year-old ‘freaky Friday’ – if that’s who his character is, then be true to yourself.”
When asked if Horner might have a word, he responded: “Yes, I’m sure he [Horner] would have had that conversation. But Max believes in freedom of speech.”
Verstappen claimed to have had “a lot of fun” in Las Vegas despite losing out on pole position and persevering to win the race. However, his mood had soured after finishing third in qualifying.
“Monaco is Champions League… this is National League,” the Red Bull driver said. “I can go on for a long time, but I feel like of course a kind of show element is important, but I like emotion.
“For me, when I was a little kid it was about the emotion of the sport, what I fell in love with and not the show of the sport around it because I think as a real racer, that shouldn’t really matter.
Verstappen will have just one more chance to add to his staggering point total this season as this weekend marks the end of the season in Abu Dhabi.
