According to RaceFans, Max Verstappen and Red Bull team members are declining to give interviews to Sky this weekend.
Despite taking pole position, neither Verstappen nor Red Bull team principal Christian Horner addressed the media after yesterday’s qualifying session. Sergio Perez, a teammate, was interviewed.
The lack of interviews with Verstappen as well as Horner, particularly the team principal, who appears frequently in Sky’s reportage during sessions, fueled speculation about a rift between the world champions and the key F1 broadcast.
Sky’s coverage is available in the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as other English-speaking countries, as well as Italy, Germany, and others.
When Race Fans queried, Red Bull refused to comment. Nevertheless, till further notice, the driver as well as senior team members, including Horner and motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, are anticipated to decline interview sessions with the broadcaster.
The explanations behind Red Bull’s boycott of Sky remain unknown. The team has, even so, been the center of attention this weekend, as the FIA revealed the details of its punishment for surpassing the budget cap last year.
The team was penalized $7 million, the 2nd highest fine in F1 history, and its aerodynamic production budget was reduced until October 2023.
Footage of a snippet filmed by Sky reporter Ted Kravitz has been shared widely on social media following allegations that his remark about Lewis Hamilton being “robbed” of the championship during last year’s controversial season finale had irritated Red Bull.
Verstappen claimed victory by passing Hamilton on the final lap after FIA F1 race director Michael Masi flouted the rules by organizing a restart without allowing all lapped cars to unlap themselves. Before the 2022 season, the FIA made major adjustments to race direction, which would include replacing Masi, who later left the sport’s governing body.
