Mercedes should have discussed team orders before the race - Horner

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has admitted that he too would have initiated team orders on Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton had he been in charge of Mercedes during the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday, but insists the call would have been discussed pre-race.

Bottas was poised to claim the victory in Sochi, but with Hamilton embroiled in a title race with Sebastian Vettel, team boss Toto Wolff made the call to swap his drivers so the Brit could win and extend his lead in the championship rankings.

The Finn cut an upset figure after the race, and Horner believes his anger comes from the fact the orders should have been talked about before the drivers got behind the wheel.

"From what I understand Bottas wasn't particularly happy," said the Red Bull chief.

"But you would have thought they would have discussed the scenarios before the race. It shouldn't have been a surprise. I'm surprised it would have been a surprise to anybody.

"It's very easy to forget that F1 is a team sport. The drivers ultimately drive for the team. What was I suppose slightly confusing about that is that it wasn't all pre-discussed and agreed going into the event."

Horner insists that he would have made the same order as Mercedes, but would have planned it in advance rather than making it during the race.

"In that situation it only takes a couple of DNFs, and you are fighting for a world championship," Horner continued.

"It's a constant battle between a drivers' championship and the self-interest of the drivers and the collective interest of the team. So you can understand the rationale behind it. It just sounds like the execution wasn't pre-discussed."

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