One of the most striking non-events over the whole Formula One ‘last lap controversy’ in Abu Dhabi was the lack of Red Bull gloating to Lewis Hamilton or Toto Wolff. The F1 team from Milton Keynes and their drivers have been known to put the boot in when given the opportunity. Now Red Bull are blatantly taunting rival Lewis Hamilton.
Back in 2013 when Vettel was winning everything in sight for Red Bull and was getting boo’d regularly by the fans who were presumably bored by the repetitive nature of the German’s F1 domination.
On the podium at the Singapore GP Vettel remarked in a poke at his rivals, “Whilst there’s a lot of people hanging their balls in the pool on Fridays, we’re still working very hard and pushing very hard so that we have a strong race.”
In a more recent swipe at another team, the Red Bull pit wall were seen with green energy drink containers in mockery of Aston Martin whose new car resembled significantly the design of the RB18.
Well in Monaco, Red Bull are at it again. They have erected a huge effergy of Max Verstappen on the rear wall of their floating barge known as “The energy station”. Co-incidentally, Lewis Hamilton will have to walk from the pits to Mercedes hospitality past the “Champion’s Wall” several times a day during the weekend.
Kravitz replied: “Perhaps, we don’t know. Red Bull haven’t really spoken about the controversy in which the rules were applied in a way that they had never been applied before.
Red Bull’s previous low key approach to celebrating Verstappen’s climatic last lap title win appears to have changed. When asked about this change of tone Sky’s Ted Kravitz remarked tounge in cheek, “To have the champion wall? Champions should it not be? Or wall of champions? I guess it’s something they were minded to put up there, if you have got a spare wall you may as well shout about your biggest asset at the moment.”
This obvious taunt could backfire were the much vaunted Mercedes revival see Red Bull beaten by their rivals on track.
Read More: Kravitz reckons FIA “won’t let Hamilton out of the garage” over piercings
Then again, maybe Red Bull are confident the Mercedes will still be a long way back when it comes to qualifying in Monaco on Saturday. Cause for hope is that the Mercedes has stiffened t’s floor and around the bumpy streets of Monaco this may not yield the results it did last time out in Barcelona.
Hamilton piercings: FIA “won’t let him out the garage,” [Kravitz]
Lewis Hamilton sparked at standoff with new FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem when he refused to attend the mandated FIA gala for drivers 1-2-3 in the championship. Lewis’ was protesting decisions made by FIA race director during the final race of 2021 which saw Hamilton’s rival Verstappen become World Champion.
Sulayem responded at his first press conference as president stating, “rules are rules” threatening to sanction Hamilton for…. READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Doesn’t really work as a taunt unless the purported target participates and takes umbrage. If HAM does, however, even as he sits on 7 WDCs of his own, it would truly be pathetic on his part… .
Could all this hype by red bull boss’s to promote their driver a way for them to believe that he is really a champion amongst top level drivers and not a driver who gained through his bosses harassment of an official of the sport into a monumental mistake which provided this driver with a title that is tarnished through no fault of his own. The personal insults by teams against individual drivers lowers the sport and professional standards and shows guilty consciences.