Red Bull on points deduction: 'What's the difference with Hungary?'

Both Toto Wolff and Christian Horner were asked in Abu Dhabi ahead of the second free practice session what they thought of the FIA's threat to use points deduction as a tool should the battle for the world championship be decided in an unsporting manner. The two reactions are divergent.

"It's very good that Michael (Masi, ed.) and the FIA have come up with a reminder about what the ICA [International Court of Appeal] stands for. Maybe a good deterrent," Wolff told Motorsport-Magazin.com and others at the press conference. The Mercedes team boss fully supports the position of the International Motorsport Association.

Horner on the other hand doesn't. The British top man states somewhat ambiguously on behalf of Red Bull. "It's one of 22 races, what's the difference between here and Hungary? The stewards have to be consistent. Nothing annoys people more than inconsistency." He reiterates that it benefits no one if stewards' decisions influence the outcome of the world championship.

FIA sets limits

Wolff said earlier that he was pleased the stewards had been so strict in, for example, Jeddah. The 49-year-old Austrian thinks this has set the tone and that the battle on track can and will take place in better conditions. If Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crash together and do not score any points, the former will be the world champion of 2021 based on more victories.