Max Verstappen shines as the RB20’s performance wanes, proving pivotal in Red Bull’s championship race.
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, has once again praised Max Verstappen for “making the difference” for Red Bull in recent races.
Verstappen fended off Lando Norris’s McLaren to secure a victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday, further extending his lead in the F1 world championship standings.
This marks the reigning world champion’s seventh win in 10 races, though Red Bull is facing increasing pressure from rivals McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes in recent events.
“I think there were a few pivotal moments on Sunday. Obviously, we lost pole on Saturday by two-hundredths, we knew it would be tight with Lando.”
“The start was crucial, we opted to start on worn tires rather than new ones because we wanted to have fresh tires in reserve. We thought we would need them for an undercut later.”
“Max had a good start, found himself alongside Lando, and he was on the grass going into turn 1, which allowed George to pick his braking point and go around the outside. Then, it was a race that was always going to be dominated by tire wear, it was crucial to pass George quickly.”
“Max attacked hard in the first or the first two laps to pass George, as soon as DRS was enabled, and then he immediately started managing the tires and was able to build a comfortably lead in that first stint, at that point, we decided to opt for an optimal race strategy in terms of pit stop laps, McLaren obviously extended their stint, so they had a stagger.”
“So, you look at the gap and think nine seconds is pretty decent, but you know that with the stagger in the tires – six laps on the mediums and three or four on the softs – those gaps close quite quickly.”
“So it was about not making mistakes, Max ran a perfect race, with well-executed pit stops. So, it’s all these little details that let us know that Lando would come back at us at the end of the race, but we would have enough control, and that’s how it played out. And that’s not possible without Max behind the wheel.”
Horner emphasized how Verstappen’s remarkably consistent performances have been crucial at a time when Red Bull hasn’t always had the fastest car.
“He’s always been fantastic under pressure, last year was an exceptional year and now it’s a more normal year.”
“It’s not normal to win every race all the time, and we have to fight very, very hard to get them. The RB20 is increasingly struggling to win against our rivals and Max makes the difference to keep us in a position to win despite everything.”
“We know where we need to improve, we understand better where our strengths and weaknesses lie, and fortunately, we are scoring enough right now to continue to widen the gap in the championship.”
RB20 Falters as Red Bull Struggles to Win. RB20 Falters as Red Bull Struggles to Win
- You may also like>Hamilton Clinches Season’s First Podium in Style
- Following us on>Facebook and>Twitter
