Christian Horner: Rivals using F1's budget cap as an 'underhand tactic' to defame Red Bull

Christian Horner has blasted rivals Mercedes and Ferrari for accusing Red Bull of wrongdoing regarding the budget cap. The Briton believes this is a tactic on the rival camps' part to overshadow Max Verstappen's successful 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Horner was quick to defend his team and claimed that they have not cheated on the budget cap. Further, he commented on the rival teams' statements, saying:

"I think it's an underhand tactic that has been employed to detract from perhaps a lack of performance on track this year. And of course, when references are made to last year, this year, next year we're going to take that extremely seriously."

Red Bull is one of the two teams accused of exceeding the budget cap last year. If they're found guilty, the Austrian team will be penalized, which may include removal from the standings as well.

Horner, however, insists that no breach of this sort has been made. Further, he expressed frustration as to how the alleged rumors were doing the rounds. He said:

"The facts are such that the submission is made to the FIA, and it is a private submission between the team and the FIA. So how on earth can any team know the detail of our submission? How on earth can any team know that a team is in breach or not? We don't even know if we're in breach or not."

The Briton was annoyed to the point where he hinted towards Red Bull taking possible action against some teams. Horner even personally called out a reporter for being partial towards certain teams during the interview.

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Red Bull advisor believes budget cap leak has been defamatory for the team

Red Bull boss and advisor Helmut Marko recently confessed to not feeling good about the budget cap breach rumors. He feels that the team's reputation is suffering because of the leaks.

The Austrian team undoubtedly face an unfortunate time at the moment as they try to defend themselves from these rumors. Marko said:

"It's an ongoing process, there are ongoing discussions where certain points are being clarified. But we're not too worried at the moment. I just find it amazing that something like this gets public. It's bad for our reputation."

The Austrian refused to comment further on the procedures of the FIA. While the authorities are currently analyzing last year's cap, it'll be interesting to see if Red Bull picks up any penalties or not.