09/06/2021
NEWS STORY
Red Bull boss, Christian Horner has said he feels it wrong for Toto Wolff to publicly criticise his own team.
Following a nightmare Grand Prix in Baku which saw Lewis Hamilton miss a sure-fire podium with the flick of a magic switch, and Valtteri Bottas struggle home a distant 12th, Wolff was quick to criticise the team's performance.
He claimed that the poor pace throughout the Baku weekend, coupled with the errant wheel nut in Monaco that ended Bottas' hopes of a podium, was not acceptable.
"There's lots of things that are not running smoothly as they have in the past few years," said the Austrian on Sunday. "Operationally we are not at our A-game.
"There's so much that we need to improve," he added, "that I just want to get on it right now, in order to make sure that we are actually able to compete for this championship. You can't continue losing points, like we've done in Monaco and here. It is just not acceptable for all of us.
"It's just not acceptable that we are not getting the car into a performant position after the start, or out of the pit stops. It's just we're losing seconds over seconds."
"A lot has been made of Toto's comments this weekend," said Horner at race end on Sunday. "He's never afraid to roast his team publicly, which I disagree with, but that's his prerogative."
Earlier in the weekend, Horner had taken aim at Wolff, who has been leading the field in terms of questioning the legality of the Red Bull's rear wing.
Suggesting that the front wing on the Mercedes is equally suspect, Horner said: "I think if I was Toto, with the front wing he has got on his car I would keep my mouth shut," quipped Horner in Baku."
Told of Horner's quip, Wolff responded: "Christian is a bit of a windbag who wants to be on camera," responded the Austrian. "It's easy to be punchy when you're on the top of the times sheets but you should be a little bit more modest."
Red Bull appeared to have the last laugh however, as on Sunday, following Sergio Perez' win, the team tweeted a picture of the Mexican celebrating with his team.
"That's the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in the (wind) bag," read the accompanying comment.
One gets the feeling that this one is going to run and run.
Indeed, speaking at the post qualifying press conference, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen suggested their bosses should settle it all in ther boxing ring.