Red Bull boss serves Qatar penalty

Christian Horner last weekend took his medicine following comments regarding officials at the Qatar Grand Prix last year.

The Red Bull boss claimed a “rogue” marshal had waved a yellow flag at a crucial moment during qualifying.

Max Verstappen duly ignored the warning, for which he was handed a five-place grid penalty at a key moment in the Formula 1 world championship.

Summoned to explain his actions, part of the deal which saw Horner officially warned was that he would attend the FIA’s International Stewards Programme.

That took place over the weekend in Geneva where he joined the likes of Australian Garry Connelly in an effort to bolster the quality of stewarding globally.

He then took part in an online discussion where he spoke of his role as a team principal, and the importance of the relationship with the FIA.

In that discussion he was joined by the likes of Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc, Formula E world champion Antonio Felix da Costa, Toyota’s WRC boss Jari-Matti Latvala, and FIA race director Michael Masi.

Horner’s focus will now switch to the forthcoming 2022 season, with the launch of the Red Bull RB18 slated for tomorrow night (AEDT).

Formula 1 pre-season testing begins on February 23 with three days of running in what the sport is branding a ‘shakedown’ outing.

Teams will then move to Bahrain for a further three days from March 10, staying at the venue for the opening race of the 2022 F1 season on March 20.