Why Max Verstappen unleashed furious 'stupid' swipe at Red Bull mechanic as Christian Horner breaks silence

Christian Horner has spoken out after Max Verstappen's heated conversation with a Red Bull mechanic after his Australian Grand Prix was brought to an abrupt end.

Verstappen was in the lead in Oz and on course to win his 10th F1 race in a row. But soon after the race began, his car started smoking and Carlos Sainz passed him easily. Then, his brake caught fire leading him to stop and leave the race. When he got out of his car and took off his helmet, Verstappen looked like he was talking strongly to a mechanic and it looked like he said: "Stupid."

But Horner, the boss of the team, said after the race that Verstappen was actually "very gracious" to everyone on the team even though he was upset. He explained: "Obviously, a driver is going to be frustrated when he gets out of a car from a retirement." I think he's been very gracious with the team and all of the mechanics. It hurts everybody in the same way. It's a matter of learning from it. We've had two years with no mechanical DNFs which has been remarkable.

Verstappen shared that the brakes on one wheel had jammed after the formation lap, making it feel like he was "driving with the handbrake on". He recalled a conversation with his mechanic about a pitstop while the car was on fire, saying: "That was related to us doing a pitstop while the car was on fire. I was like, 'Why are we doing a pit stop?'"

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