Coulthard: Red Bull and Horner are “sensitive to any criticism” 

Red Bull snubbed Sky media over the Mexican Grand Prix as a result of what they claimed to be “disrespectful” reporting, with their boycott believed to have stemmed from comments made by Sky’s pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz. 

Kravitz suggested after the United States Grand Prix that Lewis Hamilton had been “robbed” of the previous year's world title after a mishandled Safety Car period in the controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix enabled Max Verstappen to snatch his maiden world championship. 

Horner claimed that Red Bull, who faced an F1 cost cap scandal during the 2022 season, are a “cheap target” for critics. 

Speaking to Mirror Sport, ex-Red Bull driver Coulthard said he believes his former team are sensitive to personal criticism. 

"I can only imagine how much stick Ferrari get in Italy every single day, for example," he said. 

"It's an old expression, but one Mark Webber used a lot: 'To know what it's like to be somebody you've got to walk a mile in their shoes'. 

“Obviously, Red Bull and Christian are going to be sensitive to any criticism of what they do, because it's personal.

"When it comes to the media, they all have the right to interpret the scenario and events based on their particular vantage point. 

"I see Formula 1 from the view of having been a driver, so there are a lot of things that I'll have an opinion on that others won't, but that doesn't mean those opinions are not valid.

"If you only ever see things from people who agree with you or say nice things about you, then that's a very blinkered view on life. 

"I suspect McLaren are sensitive to some criticism, and Mercedes had some criticism during their dominant era as well. You've just got to accept it."