Horner backtracks on Tsunoda criticism

Horner told Sky television that his drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had been "Tsunoda-ed" in qualifying after their final flying laps were affected by the Yuki going off track and kicking up dust ahead of them.

Honda-backed 21-year-old Tsunoda is also part of the Red Bull stable of drivers with the energy drink brand owning AlphaTauri as well as their main team.

Horner's comment kicked up a storm on social media, with critics accusing Red Bull of failing to nurture and protect junior talent.

"Unfortunately social media has a habit of picking on certain lines and then exploiting them," Horner told reporters when questioned about his choice of words. "It would be a pretty boring world if you are unable to comment on the performance of a driver."

Verstappen won Sunday's race from third on the grid, passing both Mercedes cars around the outside at the start, to go 19 points clear of Mercedes' seven times champion Lewis Hamilton, with Perez third.

Horner was in far better spirits on Sunday afternoon than he had been on Saturday and had time to reconsider his view of qualifying: "Yesterday was a bit of a surprise and it felt like we underperformed but then actually it was almost a blessing.

"Had we been on the front row ironically we'd have been a sitting duck down to turn one. So it worked out reasonably well for us," added Horner.

The team boss said Tsunoda, who crashed out on Sunday's opening lap after a collision with Alpine's Esteban Ocon that also took out the Haas of Mick Schumacher, could have been better served by his team on Saturday.

"I think in fairness to Yuki perhaps he could have been helped a bit more, with more information," said the Briton.

AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost defended his driver and said Tsunoda had done nothing wrong: “I absolutely don’t understand why Perez went also off the track there.

“Yuki went to the side as all the drivers do in qualifying to make a place for the cars that are coming behind, which are on a qualifying lap. He was not on a qualifying lap. It is as easy as that. Therefore I don’t understand anything about this.”

“We told him on the radio that the Red Bulls are coming, and he just went off the track so they could pass easily. Perez followed him. It is not Yuki’s fault," insisted Tost. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin)