In a light-hearted exchange during the broadcast of the sprint shootout in Texas on Saturday, Red Bull boss Christian Horner playfully took a dig at Sky Sports reporter Ted Kravitz. Kravitz had claimed that Max Verstappen was experiencing electrical issues with his car during the race.
This isn’t the first time Kravitz has found himself at the center of controversy. Last year, he caused a huge bust-up when he suggested that Lewis Hamilton’s victory over Verstappen in the 2022 Austin Grand Prix was like something out of a movie script, as Verstappen felt he had been “robbed” in Abu Dhabi the previous year. Red Bull even boycotted interviews with the broadcaster as a result, although they eventually lifted the ban last November. Now, Kravitz is back to conducting interviews with Horner and Verstappen.
When asked about the alleged electrical issue, Horner jokingly responded, “Ted’s always talking… usually not out of his mouth.” Sky Sports presenter Simon Lazenby quickly interjected, saying it was unfair to mock Kravitz. Horner then clarified that there were some minor electrical adjustments that Max wanted them to make before the race, but there were no reliability issues with the car.
Despite the hiccup, Verstappen managed to secure pole position for the sprint race, narrowly beating Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris by just one-tenth of a second. After claiming pole, Verstappen expressed his excitement for the upcoming race, acknowledging the unpredictability of the sprint format. He also highlighted the challenges of tire management on the demanding track.
For Sunday’s race, Charles Leclerc will start in pole position, followed by Lando Norris in second and Lewis Hamilton in third. Verstappen will begin from sixth position.
