Horner issues Russell ‘man-to-man’ advice over Verstappen row

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has urged George Russell to speak to Max Verstappen in person rather than hammer him through the media.

An explosive media session featuring Russell and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was held on Thursday in the build-up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Russell labelled Verstappen a bully and claimed the four-time F1 champion threatened to deliberately crash into him after a fallout following a stewards’ meeting in Qatar last weekend.

Horner and Wolff have since got involved with the latter labelling Horner as a “yapping little terrier” – prompting Horner to issue a response of his own.

Having responded to Wolff, Horner now suggested Russell should seek out Verstappen behind closed doors.

“Rather than doing it through the media and through you guys or whatever, just go and have a conversation,” Horner told Sky F1. 

“Talk about it, man-to-man, face-to-face. If you have something to say, say it.

“Rather than ‘he said, she said’, it’s far better to address it that way. They’ve raced each other since they were, they were kids, as many of these drivers do.

“Many situations are dealt with better on the padel court.”

However, Horner highlighted the competitive nature of F1 leaves it impossible for drivers to be best friends. 

“Being best mates with your competitor is a very unnatural thing,” he said. “You’re trying to beat the hell out of each other on track, there’s so much at stake.

“Of course, it’s competitive, but sometimes I think it’s put on a false pretence that it’s all chummy. It can’t be like that, that’s sport.”