Despite Red Bull Racing’s struggles at Silverstone, Max Verstappen still secured second place behind Lewis Hamilton.
Christian Horner praised both Verstappen and the team for their smart decisions during the race.
Horner after P2 Verstappen at Silverstone
Verstappen was deeply involved in strategy discussions throughout the race. Alongside his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, and the strategy team, he stayed on top of everything. “I think it’s the way that the pit wall and the car are working together. So Max is obviously feeling what’s going on, but the pit wall have got more information than he has. So, he’s sharing that information and making the right calls at the right time. And I think today we nailed it,” Horner told Viaplay.
During both his first and second stints, Verstappen’s pace dropped unexpectedly on medium and intermediate tires. Horner found this puzzling.
“It’s really weird. I think one minute McLaren looked the fastest car on the track, then it was Mercedes and I think these tires are so temperature sensitive that one minute you’re the fastest car on the track next minute you’re nowhere and it balanced out as it got drier but it was quite confusing,” said Horner. He also noted that Mercedes seems to be back in contention for victories now.
Fans might find this news surprising given recent performances.
When asked about future races, Horner predicted a tight competition for the rest of the season. “I think it’s going to be tight the rest of the year. I mean in cooler temperatures, Mercedes have always been strong,” he said before congratulating Lewis Hamilton on his big win at Silverstone after three years .
What do you all think? Is this season going to be a nail-biter?