Christian Horner gives two-word response after McLaren are accused of breaking F1 rules

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Red Bull closed the gap on McLaren in the constructors’ championship after winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last weekend. While Sergio Perez didn’t score, Max Verstappen’s victory keeps the title holders in the frame heading into the final three races.

While McLaren picked up the maximum tally of 15 points in the Sprint, they only managed 12 in the Grand Prix. Lando Norris finished sixth, while Oscar Piastri dropped to eighth after a 10-second penalty for a collision with Liam Lawson.

Red Bull will need McLaren to have another nightmare or two before the end of the season to have any chance of pulling off a late turnaround. They’ll also need Sergio Perez to meaningfully buttress Verstappen’s points haul.

Ferrari sit in between, 36 points behind McLaren and 13 ahead of Red Bull. They’ve distanced themselves from the animosity between the two British-based teams.

In Sao Paulo, it emerged that Red Bull had accused McLaren of cheating. They suspect that the Woking outfit are injecting water into their tyres to help regulate temperature, which is forbidden.

The FIA have started investigating, but this isn’t expected to amount to anything. Pirelli haven’t noticed anything suspicious in their examinations over the course of the year.

Christian Horner refuses to address Red Bull’s accusations about McLaren’s tyres

Red Bull’s reported accusations – which relate to multiple teams – are clearly serious, but Christian Horner didn’t address them after the race in Brazil. He was asked if it was a coincidence that McLaren had lost their advantage after the story emerged.

The implication was that the teams in question might have halted any unlawful practices. Martin Brundle was ‘surprised’ by McLaren, who were no longer fastest in the race after Norris led the way in qualifying.

However, Horner simply replied ‘no comment’, according to RacingNews365. Perhaps he didn’t want to generate a media storm that would take some of the attention away from Verstappen’s remarkable win.

His superstar driver produced one of the great drives in F1 history to take victory from 17th. Horner called Verstappen the ‘best in the world’ afterwards.

Helmut Marko’s fresh dig at Lando Norris after Max Verstappen wins Sao Paulo Grand Prix

Unlike Horner, Helmut Marko didn’t shy away from taunting McLaren after Sunday’s race. The victory puts Verstappen on the brink of the drivers’ title.

If he finishes ahead of Norris in Las Vegas, or keeps his lead (currently 62) at 60 or more, he will be confirmed as the champion. The dark horse looks set to fall before the final fence.

Marko aimed a dig at Norris before he left Interlagos, noting that he was far from ‘faultless’ as Verstappen had been. The rivalry is likely to continue into next year.

Brundle wonders if Norris lacks killer instinct, but thinks he’ll benefit from his first experience of a title battle, even as an outsider. He’ll be the second favourite for the 2025 crown behind the Dutchman.