Christian Horner insists there was nothing improper about Daniel Ricciardo claiming the fastest lap late in the Singapore Grand Prix, which ultimately denied Lando Norris and McLaren an extra point.
Christian Horner has refuted the suggestion that Daniel Ricciardo was used to intentionally deny McLaren and Lando Norris the bonus point for fastest lap during the Singapore Grand Prix.
The RB driver was pitted on the penultimate lap at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and ultimately secured the fastest lap of the race.
However, because he was outside the top 10, he did not receive the extra point and merely prevented McLaren and Norris from picking the additional point.
That caused Zak Brown to question the decision, highlighting the potential issues of Red Bull owning two teams, as RB's late-race call undeniably benefitted Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the championship fights.
Due to that intervention, the Dutchman can afford to finish second to Norris in each of the final nine races (six grand prix including three sprints) and still claim the drivers' title regardless of fastest lap points.
“Racing Bulls [RB] stopped and did the fastest lap at the end of the race,” Horner told SiriusXM, denying any accusation of impropriety. “There’s nothing more to it than that.
"Kevin Magnussen would have had it had he not gone wide earlier in the race and he has a Ferrari engine. Every team has its own independence.”
