"Red Bull and Christian Horner are sensitive to any criticism of what they do," claims former F1 driver David Coulthard

Speaking about Red Bull and Christian Horner, former F1 driver David Coulthard explained how the reigning world champions are sensitive towards criticism. Recently, Red Bull have been under a lot of criticism after an intense 2021 F1 season in which they breached the cost cap.

Coulthard told Mirror Sport how the Austrian team and their team principal can be quite sensitive towards any criticism because it feels personal. He also explained how the media simply tries to interpret the entire story and try to look at all the events from their vantage point. He said:

"Obviously, Red Bull and Christian are going to be sensitive to any criticism of what they do, because it's personal. When it comes to the media, they all have the right to interpret the scenario and events based on their particular vantage point."

The former Red Bull driver further delved deep into how everyone, including the media, is entitled to have their own opinions about the events. He further explained how other teams like McLaren, Mercedes, etc. can also be quite sensitive to criticism. David Coulthard also spoke about how Ferrari is always under observation from Italian fans and the media and how much criticism they must be getting, stating:

"I see Formula 1 from the point of view of having been a driver, so there are a lot of things that I'll have an opinion on that others won't, but that doesn't mean those opinions are not valid. If you only ever see things from people who agree with you or say nice things about you, then that's a very blinkered view on life. I suspect McLaren are sensitive to some criticism, and Mercedes had some criticism during their dominant era as well. You've just got to accept it."

"I can only imagine how much stick Ferrari get in Italy every single day, for example. It's an old expression, but one Mark Webber used a lot: 'To know what it's like to be somebody you've got to walk a mile in their shoes'."

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McLaren believes Red Bull's cost cap breach punishment is good for F1 and the FIA

McLaren boss Zak Brown recently worded his thoughts on how Red Bull's FIA-imposed penalty is good for the sport. He explained how these kinds of heavy punishments will force teams to take the cost cap more seriously. Eventually, every team will learn to adjust according to the tight budget and the sport will move forward.

Speaking on the Marshall Pruett podcast, Brown said:

“I think when we had those couple of infringements, I think it was important that it was dealt with in an appropriate and a big way to make sure that no one exceeds the cap or doesn’t take it seriously. I think everybody, including those that had their issues, definitely take it seriously. I think that was also a win.”

The cost cap was updated at the start of the 2021 F1 season to bring teams closer to each other and promote better racing. Before a tighter cost cap, dominating teams were allowed to spend copious amounts of money on research and development, allowing them to easily win. The cost cap will further drop in the 2023 F1 season, making it harder for top teams, but giving slower teams a chance to compete ahead.