Christian Horner suggests Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz ‘talks out of his a***’ in Austin GP jibe.

Ted Kravitz has been a Sky Sports F1 favourite for many years and his work in the pit lane far precedes the broadcaster’s time in the sport, but he has also rubbed some people up the wrong way over the years

At the United States Grand Prix, Christian Horner seized the opportunity to crack a light-hearted joke at Ted Kravitz’s expense.

It occurred on Saturday while Sky was broadcasting live coverage of the Austin race weekend. Max Verstappen earned pole position for the short-course race later that day during the Sprint Shootout, as Red Bull team principal Horner discussed with the broadcaster.

But the Red Bull racer’s journey wasn’t entirely trouble-free. Kravitz, hard at work in the pit lane, reported that Verstappen appeared to have a problem with his car.

After the session, Horner was asked about that, and he used the occasion to make fun of Kravitz. He replied with a smile, “Ted’s always talking… usually not out of his mouth, and then continued, “There’s always things electrically you can tidy up. Max wants us to make some driveability adjustments before the race. From a reliability perspective, there are “no issues.”

Verstappen has asserted that there may have been an electrical problem with his vehicle. As a result, some fans on social media weren’t pleased with Horner’s assertion that Ted Kravitz “basically just talks out of his a***.”

“Horner needs to apologise to Ted Kravitz,” wrote one unhappy viewer. “That was a totally unacceptable comment to the world and Max defo said he had an electrical problem.”

Others were less bothered about the jibe, including some who heaped praise upon the Red Bull chief for it. “Christian Horner calling out Ted Kravitz for talking nonsense. That’s my team principal!” wrote one happier fan

While Horner was clearly having a bit of fun on this occasion, Kravitz’s relationship with his team has not always been smooth. Indeed, just last year, Red Bull chose not to conduct any interviews with Sky for the entire Mexican Grand Prix weekend over a throwaway comment made by Kravitz after the previous race, also at Austin.

The Sky reporters had claimed that Lewis Hamilton had been “robbed” of the championship the season before, alluding to the contentious Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that resulted in Verstappen stealing the crown. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Red Bull, who had been growing frustrated with what they perceived as unfair coverage.

Verstappen and his companions avoided the broadcaster entirely while in Mexico City. At the following race, they started talking to Sky again, and they have done so ever since, with that particular issue being resolved.