Horner slams Rosberg’s ‘sensational’ call for Verstappen black flag

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner fired back at Nico Rosberg’s explosive criticism of Max Verstappen following a the latter’s controversial clash with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, dismissing the 2016 word champion’s call for disqualification as “quite sensational.”

The incident – which occurred late in the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – sparked fierce debate after Verstappen, originally finishing fifth on the road, was hit with a 10-second penalty and demoted to 10th in the final standings.

The penalty was issued for causing a collision with Russell during a highly aggressive exchange that left fans, commentators, and rivals in shock over the Red Bull driver’s maneuver.

Verstappen Goes Off the Rails

The trouble began as Russell challenged Verstappen for position in the closing laps. Verstappen ran wide at Turn 1 in defense, later claiming he had been forced off by Russell.

Red Bull subsequently instructed Verstappen to give the position back – a directive met with a vehement protest by the Red Bull driver.

Nevertheless, Verstappen appeared to comply by lifting off at Turn 5. But almost immediately, the Dutchman lunged back up the inside, making contact with Russell in what many interpreted as a deliberate, retaliatory move.

Both drivers were able to continue, but Verstappen’s penalty and three additional penalty points on his super licence meant the incident may have longer-term consequences — bringing his 12-month total to 11, just one shy of an automatic race ban.

Amid widespread reaction, none was louder than Sky Sports F1 pundit Nico Rosberg, who did not hold back in his live analysis.

“He needs to get black flagged,” Rosberg said bluntly. “He just crashed into Russell on purpose just to prove a point. That was horrible. That did not look good. That’s bad, bad, bad. That is seriously bad.”

Horner Pushes Back: "We’ll leave it there"

Speaking to the media after the race, Christian Horner was quick to shut down the suggestion that Verstappen deserved a disqualification. In a carefully worded rebuttal, he suggested Rosberg’s style lent itself more to drama than balanced commentary.

“Nico’s quite sensational in the way he commentates, so we’ll leave it there,” Horner said, pointedly sidestepping the direct accusation but making clear he disagreed with the severity of Rosberg’s assessment.

While Horner stopped short of defending Verstappen’s maneuver outright, his brief response underscored Red Bull’s unwillingness to entertain the notion that the penalty – let alone a black flag – was warranted. The implication was clear: this was hard racing, not malicious intent.

With Verstappen now teetering on the edge of a race ban – and scrutiny growing once again around his driving standards – the situation has added a fresh layer of pressure to Red Bull’s already complex season.

For now, however, Horner’s focus appears to be on shielding his star driver from what he sees as overheated media commentary.

As the dust settles from a chaotic Spanish Grand Prix, one thing is certain: this isn’t the last time Verstappen’s aggressive instincts will ignite debate – or the last time Christian Horner will be called on to defend them.

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