Christian Horner is an intelligent man, but clearly, he isn’t a legal expert which became evident during a recent broadcast interview on the BBC radio show 5 Live Breakfast. Answering lingering questions about that final championship defining race of 2021, ergo Abu Dhabi, Horner admitted erstwhile race director, Michael Masi, assisted Verstappen to his maiden F1 driver’s title. In Horner’s defense, he admitted so unwittingly and unknowingly. In the world of criminal psychology, it is known as a Freudian slip.

It’s time to move on from 2021 and from Abu Dhabi, what is done is done. The whole F1 world can see what occurred on the final lap of the race was unfair and unprincipled. Hamilton was robbed of victory or Verstappen was gifted victory? In the end, the statistics do not debate, they only serve to corroborate.

Horner’s remark during his BBC interview about Michael Masi was not only deeply insulting to every F1 fan, but it was also deeply revealing. It unraveled a narrative Horner and Red Bull are pursuing in order to minimize the fall out of Abu Dhabi 21 because the tainted radioactive isotopes will damage the brand for at least 50 years.

This is what Christian Horner said to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast:

“Michael Masi actually didn’t break the rules, he applied them in a way that hadn’t been done previously,”

WHAT! … WAIT! … what?

Yes… it’s a clear admission that F1 Race Director Michael Masi helped Red Bull to the 2021 driver’s title. If you apply the rules “in a way that hadn’t been done previously” by definition there are no rules, by definition, Masi helped Red Bull to the driver’s title. In his own words, Horner is admitting Masi favored Red Bull.

Horner should have simply said this, “we’re moving on from ’21 and focusing on the 2022 season. The debate will rage on, so be it.”

That’s all he needs to say to shut down the doubters. But he just couldn’t help himself.

The statement made by Horner is significant. It is not too dissimilar to a thief getting away with a crime then turning up to the police station and bragging that he got away with the crime in plain sight.