Horner fulfils ‘rogue marshal’ comment obligations

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has taken part in the FIA’s Stewards’ Training Programme following his “rogue marshal” comments at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.

Horner agreed to attend the programme after being slapped with an official warning following his comments after qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix last year.

Red Bulldriver Max Verstappen washanded a five-place grid penaltyand received two penalty points on his superlicence for ignoring yellow flags.

With Pierre Gasly’sAlphaTauriparked up on the pit straight, Horner accused a “rogue marshal” for incorrectly waving yellow flags when speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the incident.

Horner was called to the stewards the following day to see the stewards over alleged breaches of the International Sporting Code.

The code states that “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motor sport and on the values defended by the FIA.”

The stewards ruled thatHorner be given an official warningwith the Red Bull boss explaining that “pressure from the competition” was a reason for his reaction.

Horner offered an apology to the marshal and to participate in the Stewards’ Programme.

“The stewards explained that the marshal concerned was doing his job in precisely the manner prescribed in the International Sporting Code,” said the Stewards ruling.

“Mr Horner offered to apologise to the marshal concerned and to explain to the media that he meant no offence.

“He also offered to participate in the 2022 FIA International Stewards Programme in early February. The stewards unreservedly accept Mr Horner’s offer.”

In a two-day programme, Horner attended the session virtually with stewards from around the globe. The course saw officials from many different motorsport disciplines present and was designed to help them be able to do their jobs more effectively.

F1 stewards Garry Connelly and Tim Mayer were present as featured speakers.

Horner took part in a Q&A during the session to explain his role as Red Bull boss, as well as his teams’ relationship with the FIA. The Briton was also part of a competitors’ panel about the stewarding of F1, chaired by race director Michael Masi.

Horner will now be focusing on the 2022 campaign with the team officially launching their new car on 9 February.