With the departure of Christian Horner earlier this year, Formula One lost one of its last remaining “big beasts” whose presence in the paddock usually provoked some kind of confrontation. For those who remember the sport for more than two decades, controversy was a fundamental part of the sport and lit up the racing weekends when the racing was often processional.
Back then, the FIA technical department was weak and ineffective and relied on the teams to “protest” the legality of their rivals cars to instigate an investigation, which in itself was a confrontational process.
Then there was spygate where the abrasive McLaren team boss Ron Dennis was implicated in scandal which saw the Woking based team in receipt of secret Ferrari car design documents. The FIA investigation found McLaren guilty and threw them out of the 2007 constructors’ championship and fined the team a record $100m.
F1’s “big beasts” dying out
At the time F1’s supremo Bernie Ecclestone revealed the enormity of the fine was less to do with the technical offence committed by the team and more to do with the abrasive nature of Ron Dennis, the team boss. In his book he records a joke made by Max Mosely, then president of the FIA. “Mosley joked that it was “$5 million for the offence and $95 million for Ron being a twat.”
A year later came the infamous crash gate which will see Felipe Massa in the UK High Court claiming a lost $82m in earnings for him being ‘robbed’ of the 2008 drivers’ title Hamilton won. This saw Flavio Britore thrown out of the sport for more than a decade, yet Ecclestone remembers the Italian’s Machiavellian character with fondness in the following anecdote. “When Flavio [Briatore] stuck a knife in my back, he charmed me and said, ‘It’s good for you to let out some blood.’ But when Ron puts the knife in, he wants you to know that he’s in charge and he’s killed you.”
These were just two of many historic scandals which rocked the sport, but gently – as a child being put to sleep – now today the team bosses are often engineers by background and their technical answers following some spice on track sucks the oxygen out of the room.
However, yesterday finally the paddock was treated to some controversy as Max Verstappen was set for a historic pole in Singapore, the only circuit on the calendar where he has failed to do so. The world champion was up on the fastest tie set by George Russell as he approached the final chicane.
Norris interferes with Max’s pole effort
Up ahead Lando Norris was dawdling along on his in lap and instead of moving aside on the straight before turn 16 and 17, he nipped through on his way back to the pits. As Verstappen arrived at the corner it was immediately obvious the turbulent air disturbed the front end of his car, causing him to miss the apex and the lap was gone in an instant.
Verstappen’s race engineer came on the radio to console his driver over the missed opportunity saying, “you can thank your mate for that. Hard luck. P2” Max’s response was bleeped out by the censor.
Speaking immediately after climbing out of the car in the post qualifying interviews, Verstappen told David Coulthard: “So that’s noted. Will be remembered as well.” When he was pressed to name the driver who had carelessly affected his pole efforts, Verstappen grinned saying “Not Oscar.”
Yet Verstappen rounded out the interview saying he didn’t want to make a big deal about it. “I mean, sometimes of course it’s always a bit more complicated in certain scenarios,” he added. “But in this case, in Q3 with only 10 cars on the track, I think it could have been avoided.”
Wolff explains Russell’s new contract
Marko criticises Lando
One of the remaining F1 “big beasts” Dr. Helmut Marko argued the matter was in fact a big deal. “Overall, we’re happy to finally be competitive in Singapore,” he reported to ORF. “It’s just a shame that Max is second and not first. He was up by a tenth and a half in the final run, but Lando Norris blocked him in the final sector.
“I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but at that point pole position became unattainable.” When repeating the criticism to Sky Germany, Marko’s rhetoric went up a notch suggesting the incident may have been pre-meditated. “Lando Norris’s action was incomprehensible. He completely blocked Max in the last two corners. I hope he just wasn’t looking in the mirror and that it wasn’t intentional.”
Lando Norris has had a torrid weekend and will start the Grand Prix in P5 in a McLaren which has dominated this season. Frustrated with his own lack of performance compared to his team mate, Norris was informed about Verstappen’s comments and appeared irritated.
“If someone has me on their mind, that’s their problem,” he said adding, “Red Bull always complains. There was no problem with Max driving behind me. There was such a huge gap, so no problem. They’re always complaining – about everything! That’s Red Bull.”
Zak Brown fights back
McLaren CEO and team boss Zak Brown who was regularly at odds with Christian Horner mocked the notion that his team had ruined Verstappen’s run for pole. “Did I watch the wrong footage?” he asked. ”Otherwise, I can’t figure out what they’re even talking about when they say Lando blocked him.
“As far as I’m concerned, this is a non-issue. Maybe it stems from frustration, or perhaps Max was distracted because he saw someone in front of him.”
In the press conference for the top three, Norris response was out to Verstappen who replied: “Well, that’s exactly what I would say as well if I were him,” Verstappen laughed. When questioned as to whether he’ll seek some retribution at some point, Max paused before saying: “I don’t know…”
A journalist then pointed out to Verstappen he’d given his response already in the post qualifying interviews where he remarked, “it will be remembered.” Max grinned before replying “yes.”
Another dull Singapore Grand Prix?
Of course all this is handbags at dawn, but in the highest level of motorsport competition it feels today as though everyone are ‘Bessies.’ Top level athletes are competitive to the nth degree but their media training has created images they are just ‘nice days.’
Christian Horner is very much missed in the paddock as his regular bust ups with Toto Wolff and Zak Brown would often brighten a fairly dull weekend on track. The 2025 Singapore Grand Prix is anticipated bay many with baited breath. Should Max win with cars between him and the McLaren’s, the drivers’ title race is surely back on.
Yet the likely outcome after some first lap skirmishes is the race will become processional as is often the case. We can only hope some of the lap one action creates some controversy to keep us entertained for two weeks, before the F1 circus arrives in Austin, Texas.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
