Horner gets angry with F1 media in press conference

The press conference of team leaders on Friday at the Hungaroring was marked by the anger of Christian Horner, the director of Red Bull, who did not appreciate the journalists present raising questions related to human rights, especially concerning the Russian Grand Prix in October and the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan in 2016.

In the current context, heavily marked by the issue of the Ukrainian crisis, in which the role of Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, seems significant, the Russian Grand Prix is being questioned. Some British politicians, notably former Shadow Home Secretary, Conservative David Davis, have urged Bernie Ecclestone, the president of Formula One Management, not to go to Sochi next October.

In Azerbaijan, the human rights situation is heavily criticized by international organizations, such as Reporters Without Borders. The current president, Ilham Aliyev, elected in 2003, is accused of worsening the situation of the Azerbaijani people regarding public freedoms.

Ralf Bach, journalist for Sport Bild, was not the first to light the fuse, but his question encompassed all the grievances raised against F1 and its relations with states sometimes condemned by the international community: « We have learned that, now, we are going to Azerbaijan. We are racing in Bahrain, everyone knows Bahrain kills its own citizens. We are going to Russia, no comments. We are racing in China, which is not very known for its democracy, it seems to me. So, my question is: you all say that Formula 1 and drivers must set a good example for the youth. Do you think it’s a good example to follow Mr. Ecclestone wherever he wishes? Then, if he wanted to go to North Korea, would you follow him? »

A few moments later, questioned on this subject by a journalist from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the head of Red Bull came out of his reserve: “It becomes a very depressing press conference when we focus only on the negative aspects,” started Christian Horner. “Listen, there is a calendar that comes out in October and November. We all have the choice to participate or not in the World Championship. Everyone sitting here is a competitor and they are here because they are passionate about the sport and want to compete.”

He explains that the teams do not choose the destinations and that their fate depends primarily on the governing bodies of the discipline: « When we commit to this championship, we place our trust and our destiny in the hands of the promoter and the FIA, and we will be present at these races until they deem it unnecessary for us to be there. »

Horner then took aim at the paddock journalists: « Most of you will attend these races. Why? Are you passionate about the sport or because you make a living covering the sport, and I think it’s wrong to make F1 a showcase or a political subject when we are a sport. »

He believed that journalists should focus on the sport: “We should talk about the drivers in these conferences, we should talk about the spectacular race that took place between our drivers and his [Marco Mattiacci, Ferrari director] at the last Grand Prix. We should talk about what a great race it was for Lewis Hamilton to climb back up the grid and yet, we are focusing on the negative aspects.”

« It must be said that it becomes very tedious for us to sit here and sidestep these questions. So, why not ask questions about what will happen in the race on Sunday, about what will happen in qualifying because if you have [political] questions, please address them to Messrs. Todt and Ecclestone rather than the teams, » he concluded, in a cold atmosphere.