Following the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner had little positive to say about his drivers’ race weekend. Max Verstappen was forced to retire early in the race after a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, had a disappointing qualifying session and subsequently drove a disastrous race. While Red Bull’s chances of winning the title are already slim, Horner is also beginning to doubt a fifth world championship for Verstappen.
“It was a terrible race for us,” Horner began in an interview with Viaplay. “Max was incredibly unlucky. He did nothing wrong, had a good start, but was simply driven off the track in the third corner.” Verstappen was hit by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli and was forced to abandon his race. This resulted in a scoreless finish for the Dutchman, who saw his McLaren rivals further extend their lead in the world championship.
Horner was visibly upset: “It’s really a shame, because I think we could have fought with the Ferraris. McLaren was probably a bridge too far, but we could certainly have been in the mix.” Horner is anything but certain about Verstappen’s title chances. “It’s unrealistic now, but we never give up,” he declared defiantly. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have built up leads of 61 and 46 points respectively.
Lawson Outperforms Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda also failed to uphold Red Bull’s honor on their home circuit in Spielberg. The Japanese driver finished in sixteenth and last place. During the race, he also received a ten-second time penalty. “It was absolutely not a great race for Yuki (Tsunoda),” sighed Horner. “He damaged his front wing and also received a ten-second time penalty. Unfortunately, this was a weekend to quickly forget.”
However, the team boss still sees glimmers of hope in the Japanese driver. “He has enough experience – we will continue to work together and try different setups again,” said Horner. “He still has self-confidence and started the weekend strong. Friday looked good and he was also doing well on Saturday morning. But if you then qualify poorly in a field that is so close together, it just becomes incredibly difficult.” Horner ended with a compliment: “At the same time, I want to congratulate Racing Bulls, and Liam Lawson in particular. He drove a great race,” he concluded with a painful grin. The New Zealander finished sixth – painful, given the fact that he drove for Red Bull at the beginning of the season. Lawson now ranks above Tsunoda in the drivers’ standings.
