Horner on Verstappen’s Penalty: “Where Was Max Supposed to Go?”

Christian Horner defends Max Verstappen, saying he had nowhere to go at Turn 1 after Saudi GP penalty costs him the win.

Red Bull team bosses didn’t hold back after Max Verstappen received a five-second penalty during the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — a decision that sparked very different opinions between Red Bull and McLaren.

Team Principal Christian Horner believes the penalty was harsh and ultimately cost Verstappen the win.

“We’d talked about this kind of scenario with the race director before the event. The whole idea in Formula 1 is to let the drivers race,” Horner explained. “I honestly don’t know where Max was supposed to go into Turn 1. He didn’t force anyone off track, and we ended up losing the race by just 2.6 seconds. That five-second penalty made the difference.”

Still, Horner saw positives:
“Our pace was strong. It was a very solid race from us overall. Credit to Oscar [Piastri] for the win, but naturally we’re disappointed not to take it ourselves.”

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko echoed Horner’s frustration.
“The race was pretty much decided at the start. Where could Max have gone? In Formula 2, we saw similar incidents where drivers were only given warnings. So giving Max five seconds felt a bit over the top,” Marko said.

He added: “Yes, Piastri had a slight edge at the start, but Max was back in front at the final braking zone. That’s racing. Still, overtaking here is extremely difficult. Once the penalty hit, we just focused on securing P2 and bringing the car home.”

When asked whether Verstappen could have won without the penalty, Marko didn’t hesitate:
“Absolutely. Yes.”

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Horner on Verstappen’s Penalty: “Where Was Max Supposed to Go?” Horner on Verstappen’s Penalty: “Where Was Max Supposed to Go?”

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