Horner backs Verstappen after FIA swearing row: 'Royal family swears too!'
Red Bull Contentpool
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Even after the Singapore Grand Prix, Max Verstappen's community service penalty was still a poignant topic of conversation. Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner believes the punishment is relatively harsh and used an example of the royal family swearing to support the Dutchman after the conclusion of the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris already indicated on Saturday during the post-qualifying press conference in Singapore that they thought the punishment Verstappen received was excessive. They, therefore, advised him not to carry out the imposed punishment. Christian Horner shared his own views on the situation after his drivers finished in second and tenth place, respectively.
Horner supports his star: 'This language is used every day'
Horner would've preferred the situation to have been handled differently by the FIA. According to him, swearing is a common way to express emotion. "I think that Max has made his feelings clear on it. Of course, all these drivers are role models. But, language is used in everyday life, it perhaps could have been dealt with slightly differently, which would have avoided any awkwardness. I’m not sure how much he’s talking in the FIA press conference now, but I assume it's relatively little," Horner began.
Horner: 'We've seen the Royal Family swear'
The Red Bull team boss was asked if the team has asked their start driver not to swear, to which Horner responded with: "No, no. Look, I suppose the difference was between a press conference and in the car. But for a driver whose native language is not English… I mean, we’ve seen Royal Family members telling photographers to take a fucking photo. So reactions need to be relative." Horner concluded. Hopefully, the situation can be resolved swiftly before Formula 1 returns on October 20 in Texas.
This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wijngaarden
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