A Red Bull driver has responded to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, after the American jabbed at his competition at Silverstone.
McLaren are sitting comfortably at the top of the Constructors’ standings, and that has allowed Brown to fire some shots down the table before the British Grand Prix.
Brown said Red Bull would be slower than Racing Bulls, their sister team, without Max Verstappen in a press conference before the Grand Prix. That was in response to rumours of Verstappen’s move to Mercedes.
Now, a Red Bull driver has fired back, creating a war of words between the competitors.
Liam Lawson responds to Zak Brown’s comments, ‘I don’t think Zak Brown understands’
Liam Lawson, who currently drives for Racing Bulls but was a Red Bull driver for the first two races of the year, knows better than anybody the difficulties of driving the car. Red Bull are currently fifth in the Constructors’ standings, not in contention for the title.
A DNF for Lawson in Australia and a 12th-place finish in China saw him ousted from the seat after just two races, replaced by Yuki Tsunoda who has also struggled at Red Bull.
Lawson, speaking to Motorsport.com, said about Brown’s comments, “I don’t think Zak Brown understands, honestly. So, yeah, it’s easy to comment on stuff when you’re not involved, and you’re outside of the picture, so I don’t think he understands.”
But when asked by RacingNews365 what he attributed the struggles at Red Bull to, he said he doesn’t understand either.
He said, “I guess I didn’t have anywhere near enough time, on two tracks I’d never been to, to really understand.
“In two weekends, I don’t have enough feel of the car to be able to comment, honestly, on what its speed is like and things like that.
“We were working on things to improve it and make it better for me as well, and never got the chance to use them.”
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner throws shade at George Russell
The Team Principal and driver disputes didn’t end there. When asked about Verstappen’s future, Red Bull boss Christian Horner threw shade at Mercedes driver George Russell for starting the rumour.
Horner said, “I think, actually, probably George triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand, because he’s driven a very good season as well this year.
“But inevitably, there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team, and that’s very clear.”
Russell sparked the Verstappen rumours in Austria by saying his team has been speaking with the Dutchman. He’s been waiting on a contract for next season, despite being arguably the best driver on the F1 grid this year and sitting fourth in the standings.
With all the Team Principal drama, you know silly season is well and truly underway.