Christian Horner was ‘SCREAMING’ at F1 stewards during safety car drama before Max Verstappen’s win

Red Bull Team Principal Christan Horner revealed he was ‘screaming’ at Formula One race director Michael Masi during the tense final moments of Max Verstappen’s dramatic championship win in Abu Dhabi.

Verstappen, who trailed reigning champions Lewis Hamilton for the majority of the ‘Decider in the Desert’, was handed a stunning chance to take the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the F1 championship when a safety car bunched the racing track together.

Nicolas Latifi’s crash with five laps to go sparked a safety car, with Masi and the F1 stewards deciding to reverse their decision to keep the lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen and let the two race each other in the final lap.

Christian Horner admits he was shouting to F1 race director Michael Masi over the safety car drama before Max Verstappen’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and F1 championship win

Verstappen (right) overtook Hamilton (left) on the last lap of the winner-takes-all Abu Dhabi GP

Horner was heard on the team radio begging with Masi to allow Verstappen to have a clear run at Hamilton, which was granted, with the Red Bull driver overtaking the Mercedes man in the final lap to take the F1 drivers’ title at the Briton’s expense.

And Red Bull chief Horner, who brought Verstappen into pit during the safety car period to get him on softer tyres ahead of the final lap, hailed his team’s tactical switch that led to the Dutchman’s victory.

‘We were screaming at him “let em race,”‘ he told Sky Sports. ‘That’s what we’ve been talking about all these years: let them race. 

F1 race director Masi overturned his decision to keep lapped cars inbetween Hamilton (second left) and Verstappen ahead of the final lap

Verstappen (right) crossed the line before Hamilton (left) to take his first ever Formula One title

‘And this championship came down to the last lap and it was a great strategy call, to make that pit stop, to take that set of softs. And then it was down to Max to make it happen.’

Mercedes, meanwhile, were stunned by Masi’s decision to allow the lapped cars overtake the safety car before the green flag, with their chief Toto Wolff shouting at the race director saying: ‘It is not right.’

Hamilton’s team have registered two protests about the result, over alleged breaches of Articles 48.8 and 48.12 of the FIA Sporting Regulations – both regarding the safety car rules. 

Horner (left) hailed Red Bull and Verstappen (right) for their tactics in the final few laps

Horner (right) understands that Mercedes chief Toto Wolff (left) will be livid with Masi’s call

And Horner believes that he understands why Wolff and Mercedes are furious with the stewards but claims the right decision was made under ‘difficult circumstances’. 

‘Of course he (Wolff) will obviously do that (complain about the safety car drama),’ Horner added. ‘But it’s unheard of to leave the cars unlapped. 

‘You could see they wanted to get the race going again but they don’t need to catch up the back of the paddock so they made absolutely the right call.

‘(There were) difficult circumstances for the stewards, we’re all putting pressure on them, but they called it right. 

‘I’m just so proud of Max, of the team, for what we’ve been through this year, what we’ve achieved against some fierce and great opponents.’