Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner wants clearer guidance from stewards after the F1 Spanish GP, with his former Sporting Director and current Sauber boss Jonathan Wheatley defending them.
In the wake of round 9 of 2025, Horner has urged the FIA to provide clearer guidance for Formula 1 teams on when drivers must relinquish positions, rather than leaving teams to guess steward decisions. This call for transparency gained attention after a widely publicised incident at the Spanish GP involving Max Verstappen and George Russell. An incident which saw Verstappen hit with three penalty points and a 10 second time penalty which saw him plummet to P10 in the official race classification.
During the Spanish GP, Verstappen was instructed by Red Bull to give up fourth place to Mercedes driver Russell. The situation came to a head when Verstappen collided with Russell amid the confusion. Adding to Horner and his team’s misery, the FIA later ruled that Verstappen was not required to yield the position, revealing that the entire incident could have been avoided.
Horner had to gamble at Spanish GP
Horner’s post-race remarks at the Spanish GP revealed that he felt the stewards could have done more to make the situation clear. He said the lack of decisive action from stewards early on meant that the team had to gamble on whether to keep a position they believe is their own – and risk a penalty. Or, give the position up on track and later learn that they need not have done so.
“That’s where it would be nice as the referee, as a race director, to either say, ‘Play on’ or, ‘You need to give it back,’” Horner said after the Barcelona race. “It’s very hard for the team subjectively to try and make that call because you’re going on historical precedence. You’re looking at what you have in front of you, and you’re trying to pre-empt what the stewards and the race directors are thinking. I think it would be beneficial to the teams in that instance for the race director to make that call and say, ‘You either give it back or you get a penalty’, rather than having to try and second guess what are the stewards going to do.”
The evolution of stewarding
F1 stewarding has certainly evolved over the years. In the famous 2021 F1 season there was plenty of back and forth between race control and the teams. Too much back and forth which resulted in a rule change in in 2022. At that time, and after a season which concluded not without its controversy, race director of the time Niels Wittich, made the decision to discontinue the direct communication system. This decision was due to the fact that Wittich believed teams were well positioned enough to judge situations themselves.
A different view to Horner at Spanish GP
One man who did a lot of talking for Horner in 2021 was Jonathan Wheatley. During his time at Red Bull Racing, Wheatley often handled communication with the FIA. Now in role as Team Principal of the Sauber team – he was asked for his thoughts on this latest hot topic in F1.
Wheatley was asked as to whether he misses this communication with the FIA.
“No, it’s actually quite nice not to be involved anymore. After years of talking to the FIA during the race, it’s quite nice to hand over that responsibility to Inaki [Rueda]. “I’ve had enough drama for now,” Wheatley said this smiling and a knowing look of a man recalling the famous 2021 radio broadcasts before continuing. “I actually just enjoy my new role and the opportunities I have to add value and provide support in various areas. I’m not saying I’m not involved in those decisions, but I try to help with my experience mainly.”
More of a challenge now for teams to anticipate steward decisions
Meanwhile, Horner has argued that the new structure, combined with increasingly complex driving guidelines, means that it is much more of a challenge now for teams to anticipate steward decisions.
“He [Verstappen] was obviously upset because first of all he’s had [Charles] Leclerc take a swipe at him on the straight, and then he’s got dive bombed at Turn 1 by George. The way that these regulations are now, it’s all about where that front axle is. The drivers know the rules and they’re the rules that they’re playing to.
“Now the argument is, was George under control at that point in time? Would he have made the corner? We’ve seen so many occasions this year where penalties have been given. We’ve seen it been noted, we’ve seen it gone to the stewards. The next thing is you’re expecting to get a penalty. So that’s why it was, ‘OK, do you know what, we’re going to have to give this place up’.”
Does Wheatley feel same frustration as Horner?
Wheatley was asked as to whether he agreed with Horner’s statements. Also, does he feel the same frustration as the man steering the ship at Red Bull Racing. His reply showed that he has empathy for those in the FIA tasked with decision making.
“In the 19 years I’ve been a sports director and worked with the FIA, I’ve spent a lot of time understanding the pressure the race direction faces. Try putting yourself in their shoes too. It’s not always the case that this is the only incident they have to look at. Especially after a first round, a lot happens.
“I don’t know exactly what Christian wanted to talk about, I didn’t follow his race as closely as ours. But as I said, I’ve tried for a long time to understand the pressure on race direction and to understand whether I’m going to get a response or not,” Wheatley concluded.
Horner calls for clearer, more definitive guidance after Spanish GP
This high-profile clash at the Spanish Grand Prix has reignited debate about stewarding clarity in Formula 1. Horner’s call for clearer, more definitive guidance from race control aims to reduce confusion and help teams make informed decisions during races. By doing so, this potentially prevents costly errors and controversies in the future. Horner also said he planned to raise the issue at the next F1 Sporting Advisory Committee meeting, where the FIA and teams discuss sporting regulations. As such, this matter is far from closed and the debate will no doubt continue for some time.
What is unclear is whether Verstappen’s title charge will also continue. His moment of frustration and subsequent penalty means he is now 49 points behind Oscar Piastri – the man at the top of the Drivers’ standings. Red Bull Racing need to do everything right in Montreal and even then, that may not be enough to finish in front of McLaren.
