Red Bull chief Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen would have won the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix if it wasn’t for his time penalty.
The Dutchman secured pole position for the race on Saturday, but Oscar Piastri got a better start as the pair headed towards the first corner.
Piastri arrived at the apex marginally ahead of Verstappen, with the reigning World Champion attempting to go around the outside, but having to go off track as he came back onto the circuit and into the race lead.
Both drivers took to the team radios to plead their innocence, but the stewards determined that the Red Bull driver had gained an advantage by leaving the track in his attempts to hold onto the race lead.
With a five-second time penalty, the McLaren driver jumped Verstappen after pitting first and held onto the win at the chequered flag for the first back-to-back victory of the season.
Horner and his star driver were left aggrieved with the outcome of the race, and afterwards, the Red Bull Team Principal voiced his concerns with the stewards’ decision.
“We had that sort of discussion with the race directors, obviously, before the race through briefings and whatever else,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“I mean, we have this notion of let them race.
“I don’t know where Max was supposed to go with that first corner.
“We’ve lost the race by 2.6 seconds, so it’s tough.
“I think the most positive thing for us today, the pace was there.
“It was a very positive race, congrats to Oscar, but yeah, disappointed not to get the win.”
Horner: ‘We know we’ve got to improve’
Whilst it may not have been a victory for Verstappen and the Austrian squad, another second-place finish doesn’t look so bad, considering the state of play after the final Free Practice session in Jeddah.
Red Bull looked on the back foot, but once again, a superb qualifying display from the 27-year-old allowed him to fight for the win.
Horner was in good spirits when reflecting back on the pace of the RB21 after FP3.
“Yeah, absolutely, I mean, we pulled a gap [at the start],” he added.
“Let’s not forget [that] on Friday, McLaren had 1.2 seconds on everybody.
“I thought the pace in the car, Max was feeling comfortable out there and he was pulling out the gap.
“We were trying to get the gap at the pit stop, even with the penalty, but it wasn’t to be.
“So, good points, important points today – we’re only 12 points off the lead of the championship.
“We’ve taken a few points out of Lando, so yeah, everything to play for.”
Asked if the team has lacked consistency over the opening rounds of the 2025 season, the 51-year-old stated that Red Bull must “improve”.
“Well, look, we know McLaren are very, very quick,” Horner said.
“But, last three races, two pole positions, a first, a second, obviously, Bahrain was tough for us.
“I mean, arguably, without that penalty, we would have won today as well.
“So a lot of positives to take, a lot of lessons.
“We know we’ve got to improve.”
READ MORE – Red Bull boss Christian Horner hails ‘phenomenal’ Saudi F1 pole lap from Max Verstappen
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