Christian Horner remains adamant that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton "both played a part" in their collision at the Italian Grand Prix, and reckons the FIA could have made a statement by issuing the two drivers with the same penalty. After an investigation, the stewards deemed that Verstappen was predominantly to blame and gave him a three-place grid penalty for the Russian GP, with a time penalty not an option after the title rivals retired from the race on the spot. Horner, having initially described the clash as a "racing incident", still believes that one driver should not have been deemed at fault over the other for the clash, but accepts the stewards' decision. "I still share the same belief today – both played a part in it and it is difficult to apportion blame to one side more than the other," wrote Horner in his latest column for the Red Bull website. "If the FIA wanted to make a statement, they could've imposed the same penalty on both drivers, but the fault was deemed to be more on Max's side and, because he didn't finish the race, the only option was to give him a grid penalty, which we accept." Horner was nonetheless pleased to see Verstappen and Hamilton walk away from the incident. "It was an awkward shunt, but both drivers were instantly able to confirm they were OK," said Horner. "With Lewis trying to reverse and get back in the race, even the Medical Car didn't see the need to deploy. "I'm grateful the Halo did its job. I think even the most vocal of doubters have now changed their mind about it."
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