Horner shuts down McLaren’s Ricciardo claim

Christian Horner has refuted the suggestion that Daniel Ricciardo was used to intentionally deny McLaren and Lando Norris the bonus point for fastest lap during the Singapore Grand Prix.

The RB driver was pitted on the penultimate lap at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and ultimately secured the fastest lap of the race.

However, because he was outside the top 10, he did not receive the extra point and merely prevented McLaren and Norris from picking the additional point.

That caused Zak Brown to question the decision, highlighting the potential issues of Red Bull owning two teams, as RB’s late-race call undeniably benefitted Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the championship fights.

Due to that intervention, the Dutchman can afford to finish second to Norris in each of the final nine races (six grand prix including three sprints) and still claim the drivers’ title regardless of fastest lap points.

“Racing Bulls [RB] stopped and did the fastest lap at the end of the race,” Horner told SiriusXM, denying any accusation of impropriety. “There’s nothing more to it than that.

“Kevin Magnussen would have had it had he not gone wide earlier in the race and he has a Ferrari engine. Every team has its own independence.”

Ricciardo had extra motivation for fastest lap

Brown has repeatedly cast a spotlight over the potential issues pertaining to the relationship between Red Bull and its sister team RB, with two championships on the line.

The American was keen to underline the advantage enjoyed by his outfit’s closest rival, whilst claiming there was no benefit to Ricciardo for his last-lap exploits.

Although not in directly response, Horner did point out a potential key motivating factor for the Australian driver, who has likely raced his final grand prix for the foreseeable future.

However, the Red Bull team principal also acknowledged that given the shared ownership of Red Bull and RB, there were always going to be questions posed.

“It’s always going to get raised because it’s the same ownership, so it’s inevitable that question’s going to get raised,” the 50-year-old said.

“But… Remember, he [Ricciardo] gets paid a bonus on a fastest lap.”