Horner assesses risk of on-track clash between Verstappen and Russell

Christian Horner does not believe Max Verstappen and George Russell’s off-track feud will come to blows on the circuit at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The saga between the two drivers was instigated by a near-miss during qualifying in Qatar, but the Red Bull team principal has shut down suggestions the pair might clash again at the Yas Marina Circuit.

In Lusail, the Dutch driver channelled any frustrations he may have harboured from the alleged stewards’ room conduct of Russell the night before into a “blinding start”, as Horner labelled it.

However, since that point, the hostile atmosphere in the F1 paddock has spread, with tensions between the drivers reaching fever pitch on media day in Abu Dhabi. Despite that escalation, Horner maintains there will not be on-track drama between the two.

“No, not at all,” the 50-year-old told media including RacingNews365 when asked about the potential for things to spill out onto the circuit.

“Look, Max, he’s a very straight shooter. He just tells you exactly how he sees it. He tells the truth, exactly what he feels.

“And obviously he had a large amount of frustration last weekend, the way things played out in a scenario that we haven’t seen before and a subsequent grid penalty.

“Then he turned that into motivation and made a blinding start, led the race into the first corner and won the grand prix, which is the best possible response.”

‘Pantomime season’ as Christmas nears

Horner attempted to further defuse the situation with his answer, joking that it is “pantomime season” in F1, before reiterating his stance on the likelihood of an on-track skirmish between Verstappen and Russell.

“Now obviously, a lot’s been made of it [on media day],” he added. “It’s pantomime season, we’re getting ready for Christmas.

“So there’s maybe an element of end-of-term blues there, but I don’t think it’ll have any effect on the grand prix itself.”