Horner 'surprised' by Mercedes comments, vows to move on

Christian Horner says he was surprised by Mercedes' claim that Red Bull had sought to "tarnish" Lewis Hamilton's name while petitioning for a review of the Briton's penalty at the British Grand Prix.

Red Bull's request to review the Silverstone incident was rejected by the FIA on Thursday in Hungary, but Mercedes reacted to the dismissal by stating that it hoped that the decision "will mark the end of a concerted attempt by the senior management of Red Bull Racing to tarnish the good name and sporting integrity of Lewis Hamilton".

Horner called the Brackley squad's reaction "antagonistic", insisting the initiative was not based on anything "personal".

"I think the statement by Mercedes is a little antagonistic," Horner said. "But I don't really read too much into it.

"It's never been anything personal about a single driver. It's about the events that happened and a competition between two guys. It's not individual to any driver.

"If that had been any other driver the reaction would have been identical."

• Read also: Red Bull responsible for anti-Hamilton reaction on social media - Wolff

Horner concluded that despite the unsuccessful appeal process, Red Bull was eager to focus once again on the action on the track.

"I was a little surprised at Mercedes' comments," added the Briton. "But we've put that behind us and our focus is very much on track and obviously try to build on the momentum that we've taken after the sprint race and Silverstone."

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