Max Verstappen has expressed that he “doesn’t care” about an ongoing spat in Formula 1 between Red Bull team boss Christian Horner and McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
McLaren and Red Bull’s battle over championship honours in 2024 has seen tensions between the two sides grow as the campaign has approached the closing races.
Last weekend’s United States Grand Prix started with a technical storm surrounding Red Bull’s revelation that the RB20 comprises a device which can alter ride height.
But although Red Bull has claimed that the mechanism can’t be used when the car is assembled, Brown is still demanding more answers from the FIA over the matter.
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McLaren’s concern comes amid the side being embroiled in a dispute last month in Baku when video footage showcased its MCL38’s rear wing flexing on the straight.
Horner and Brown have stood at the centre of those debates, which started to get heated when Red Bull was discovered to have breached F1’s cost cap rules in 2022.
However, Verstappen has declared he boasts no interest in their public squabble as his attention remains on protecting his 57-point lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Asked about Horner and Brown’s continuous row, Verstappen told Autosport: “That doesn’t interest me. We were just using it as a tool to adjust the ride height faster.
“It was not really McLaren per se, it was more Zak. Zak doesn’t like Christian, so yeah… And vice versa, I think! That’s just how it is. That’s not my problem either.
“I really don’t care about this at all. I don’t deal with that. I see it, I read it. But then I turn it off again and go and watch MotoGP or go on the sim.”
Horner suspects FIA clampdown has hurt McLaren
McLaren sustaining a slight downturn in competitiveness in Austin coincided with the news that the team had to make changes to all the rear wing designs in its pool.
With the margins at the front tighter than ever, Horner indicated that the FIA’s clampdown on the trick branded as a ‘mini DRS’ has had an adverse impact on McLaren.
“Small details do make a difference, and particularly when the cars have converged as they have,” Horner said regarding the topic to media including Motorsport Week.
“It’s all about marginal gains. That’s what Formula 1 is all about. So yes, inevitably, there will be a difference from it. How material it is will vary from circuit to circuit.”
Stella denies Red Bull’s claim over rear wing
However, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has argued that it would be incorrect to attribute recent performance swings to what he believes to be a minor tweak.
“I would be surprised that there’s only a couple of teams that had to make adaptations to the rear wing,” Stella retorted.
“Our rear wing was adjusted after Baku, following some of the conversations we have had, and with the FIA providing some references as to what they would like to see.
“But this is a really minor element in terms of car performance. It does not have to do with any performance switch from event to event.
“None of the performance that we see, being better, being worse, should be associated with this.
“And I think this is not only for McLaren, it’s for any team, with the fact that some teams might have been asked to adjust the behaviour of the rear wing.”
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