Mad Max has Horner in his corner after flashpoint in Brazil

No place for robots in F1, claims Red Bull team principal after Verstappen outburst

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has defended Max Verstappen’s wild outburst by declaring: “We don’t want robots in Formula One”.

Verstappen, 21, has been sentenced to two days of community service by F1’s sporting federation, the FIA, after he shoved Force India’s Esteban Ocon in the chest three times following Sunday’s Brazilian Grand Prix.

The flashpoint came after Ocon crashed into Verstappen and cost the Dutchman an almost certain victory at the Interlagos circuit.

Verstappen’s community service could be centred on the FIA’s Action for Road Safety campaign, and must be completed by April.

The young Dutchman attempted to draw a line under the incident by shaking Ocon’s hand in full view of the paddock following their summons to the stewards on Sunday evening.

And while Horner did not condone the use of violence, he did not believe his star driver had overstepped the mark either.

“Drivers aren’t robots and we don’t want them to be,” Horner said.

“We have seen in other sports that there is interaction between players, and it’s down to the referee to step in and manage that. I don’t think it got out of hand.

“What I don’t know is what words were exchanged, and how Max was antagonised.

“Of course we don’t condone violence in any way but you have to understand that emotions are running very high.

“Through the irresponsible actions of a backmarker we’ve lost a grand prix, and it just wasn’t handled at all well by Ocon.

“It was totally irresponsible to be racing Max.”

Verstappen was seething with rage after his collision with Ocon on lap 44.

Ocon, one lap down on the Dutchman and in 16th place, went wheel-to-wheel with the race leader at 220mph, before he banged into the right-rear of Verstappen’s car through the Senna Esses, sending him into a race-losing spin.

Verstappen fumed over the radio before he recovered to finish less than two seconds behind Hamilton.

“I don’t know what to say,” Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase said.

CHRISTIAN HORNER

“I know what to say,” Verstappen replied. “I hope I don’t find him in the paddock.”

The incident cleared the way for Lewis Hamilton to secure his 10th victory of his championship-winning campaign.

And although Ocon was hit with a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, the harshest punishment available to the stewards other than disqualification, Hamilton felt Verstappen should have afforded the backmarker more room.

“Ultimately, when you are in Ocon’s position you have got nothing to lose,” the world champion said.

“You want to get through, your tyres are quicker, and if Max wasn’t pushing or going flat out because he was saving his tyres, then you are going to go for it.

“Of course, you don’t want to cause an incident, but in those scenarios you give each other space. It is as simple as that.

“But Max is like that. He’s a go-get-it guy, and every now and then it comes to bite you.”

… we don’t condone violence in any way but you have to understand that emotions are running very high.

Picture: Getty. Max Verstappen: Sentenced to two days of community service by the FIA for his outburst in Brazil.