'No clear plan' - Horner makes admission over Brazil team orders controversy

Stuart Hodge
Sunday 22 January 2023 14:15 - Updated: 14:38

Christian Horner has admitted that Red Bull failed to plan for the scenario which led to the team orders fiasco in Brazil last season.

The team requested that Max Verstappen allow Sergio Perez to pass on the final lap of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, to move up to sixth place, but the Dutchman refused to comply with the orders.

Horner insists that both men have put that behind them, despite Perez suggesting that the incident shows who Verstappen "really is" in the immediate aftermath of the disagreement.

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The Red Bull Racing team principal said the team was at fault for the situation, not the drivers.

"I think the root cause of the problem was we had never envisaged being in a situation, being in the final few laps, being in sixth and seventh place in that Grand Prix,” said Horner.

“I think it was something that, as we hadn't envisaged it, we hadn't discussed it, before the race, and I think, that was a mistake on our part, that we should have thought through, or tried to think through every single scenario.

“I think that was a mistake as a team that we didn't discuss it and come up with a very clear plan. Obviously, it was unfortunate what happened, but it was quickly discussed, openly and transparently. And both drivers were very clear, open, and honest with each other, and from that, as a team, we move on and the dynamic between the drivers is absolutely fine.

“I think we made some mistakes in Brazil, we've learned from that and, as I say, we move on. We've done some amazing things. These two drivers have performed incredibly well together. They’re the reason that we are in the position that we are. Max's season [was] on another planet [last] year. So, we're not going to let the events of a couple of laps in Brazil dictate the year for us."

Horner: Ferrari had 'quicker package'

Horner also admitted that Ferrari may well have had the better car in the first half of the 2022 season, and admitted that the campaign was a lot tougher than their eventual romp to a fifth World Constructors' Championship – and first in nine years – would suggest.

"It was a very tough year,” Horner told Formula1.com. “When you look at the statistics, it looks like we totally dominated it. But certainly, in the first half of the season, Ferrari had their chances and probably a quicker package. But Max was outstanding throughout the year, particularly in that first half.”