Christian Horner explains why Verstappen was slow in Baku as Red Bull star hung out to dry
Max Verstappen was by far the slowest of the two Red Bulls at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Christian Horner has shed light on why Max Verstappen was the slowest Red Bull at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. And the team principal suggested that his star driver was let down by changes to his race set-up which ultimately worked against him.
Verstappen was outqualified by Sergio Perez on Saturday and outshone by the Mexican during the Grand Prix, which goes completely against the grain of their one-sided Red Bull battle up to this point in the season.
Baku has been a happy hunting ground for Perez in the past but it was still a surprise to see Verstappen struggle so much compared to his team-mate, who was fighting for the lead right up until a race-ending collision with Carlos Sainz one lap from the finish.
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Verstappen trundled through to take fifth, one place behind his main title rival, Lando Norris, who started nine places behind him on the grid. When asked to explain what separated the two Red Bulls in terms of pace, Horner explained that Verstappen may have been hung out to dry by a number of unsuccessful additions to his RB20.
"(Perez) found a good rhythm and set-up," he told Sky Sports. "Checo’s car was very quick today. We might have introduced some things on Max’s car which didn’t work so well."
Verstappen repeatedly complained to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase during the Grand Prix, citing a lack of 'bite' in the front end.
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The reigning triple world champion is now only 59 points ahead of Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship, having not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23. McLaren have ruthlessly closed the gap in the three months since, and they finally overtook Red Bull in the team standings following Oscar Piastri's win in Baku.
Despite his team's alarming downward trajectory, Horner is doing his best to remain positive. "There is still a lot of racing to do," he continued. "It was a magnificent race at the front, for so many laps. We’re disappointed it came to close like that when it didn’t need to."
Red Bull have seven Grands Prix in which to overhaul McLaren and preserve Verstappen's lead at the top of the individual table, starting with Singapore next weekend.
Horner will also hope Perez's luck turns after his sickening crash in Baku. "He deserved a lot more," said the Red Bull boss. "Carlos drifts across the circuit. Very disappointing. He should have, at least, been on the podium. It destroyed the race for Checo."
