"Call him a loser" - Red Bull boss Christian Horner denounced for tarnishing F1's image
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has been a surprise target of an opinion piece in The Times.
In the article titled "Delusional Horner is tarnishing the whole sport of Formula One" by Mathew Syed, Horner was termed 'delusional', 'loser' and 'graceless under pressure'.
In a strongly worded article that appears to be a retaliation or outrage over Red Bull's decision to boycott Sky Sports at the Mexican GP last week, Horner could now consider boycotting The Times, the article says:
"Horner may now be pondering whether to ban The Times too, on the basis of this assertion. If so, it won’t be long before Red Bull are avoiding all press outlets, and perhaps all social media too."
"Lewis Hamilton was robbed. I think we should make that plain at the start of this column." thetimes.co.uk/article/97035f…
Doubling down on the Red Bull boss, the column terms Horner 'graceless under pressure' and draws comparisons with AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho.
"I had always thought that Jose Mourinho was the ultimate in gracelessness under pressure (to invert Ernest Hemingway’s quote) but Horner has taken it to a new level. How dare the Red Bull principal deploy sensitive moral issues such as bullying and mental health to deflect from his own rule-breaking."
The column further ridicules Horner by saying that the Red Bull boss is tarnishing the image of the sport as it termed him a 'loser'. It said:
"Red Bull may have won the drivers’ and constructors’ championships this season but in his manner and example, Horner is tarnishing not only his team but F1 too. You might even — at the risk of a fresh boycott — call him a loser."
Sportskeeda's verdict on article against Red Bull boss
As F1 fans, we need to understand that Mathew Syed, the writer of the opinion piece, is not an authority in the sport.
He's not one of the most respected voices in F1. If we are brutally honest, he is not even a voice in F1. The way the piece is written, it's clear that the research on the subject matter was missing.
Something that was clarified by both Max Verstappen and Red Bull was the fact that it was not a singular comment that led to the team's decision to boycott Sky Sports in Mexico City.
Graceless, self-serving Horner tarnishing his team – and F1
thetimes.co.uk/article/delusi…
What he said.
It has been a year-long process of 'constant digging and disrespect' that has led to this decision. The writer completely ignores the facts and runs with the 'robbed' narrative.
The details of Red Bull's cost cap breach have not been fully laid out either, and there's no neutrality or an attempt at it in the article. Considering the way Syed talked about Horner, it's clear there's a gap in terms of knowledge that needs to be bridged before he can become an authority in the sport.