F1 News: Red Bull defends "fair team player" Max Verstappen after Brazil controversy
Red Bull has released a team statement following the Brazilian GP, explaining that Max Verstappen was put in a difficult position by the team.
Verstappen's refusal to follow team orders after the Brazilian GP resulted in immense backlash, with teammate Sergio Perez the most displeased with this decision.
Perez expressed his disappointment at Verstappen's decision to ignore team orders after the Grand Prix, having made a series of scathing comments on team radio.
In the aftermath of the event, team principal Christian Horner insisted that the issue between the two drivers would be resolved internally.
Ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull has commented on the controversial sequence of events at the Interlagos Circuit.
"As a team, we made some mistakes in Brazil. We had not envisaged the situation that unfolded on the last lap, and we had not agreed a strategy for such a scenario before the race.
"Regretfully, Max was only informed at the final corner of the request to give up the position without all the necessary information being relayed.
"This put Max, who has always been an open and fair team player, in a compromising situation with little time to react, which was not our intention.
"Following the race, Max spoke openly and honestly, allowing for both drivers to resolve any outstanding issues or concerns.
"The team accept Max's reasoning, the conversation was a personal matter which will remain private between the team and no further comment will be made."
Red Bull also condemned the "completely unacceptable" comments on social media, many of which were directed towards the team and Max Verstappen.
The FIA has already set out a plan to use AI to combat the rise in abuse online.
Regardless, Verstappen's actions to ignore team orders - at least from the outside - do not seem to have been met with any punishment or assignment of blame.
Sergio Perez has said on social media that the issue has been resolved, but it remains unseen how the team dynamic will evolve.
Irrespective of this, the stain and bitter taste of this incident will not be going away anytime soon.