Horner on Verstappen: 'Showed why this is his favourite circuit'

Christian Horner is pleased with Red Bull Racing's Friday at Spa-Francorchamps. Max Verstappen was fastest once again in tricky conditions and Sergio Perez drove a creditable qualifying session with a third time. At least it was a lot better than the routinier's past six qualifying sessions.

"Weather wise, it was all over the place again. Torrential rain to start and finishing in bright sunshine certainly made things interesting from a strategy point of view, but that’s Spa," Horner interjected. On a drying track, it was the 10th time in 2023 that an RB19 drove the fastest time.

"In terms of the racing, it was a great performance from both drivers," said the British team boss. "Max was on brilliant form once again, showing exactly why this is his favourite track while Checo delivered in the fashion we all know he is capable of for qualifying, finishing a couple of hundredths off Charles – earning what will become his first front row since Miami." The Mexican benefits from his teammate's five-place grid penalty.

Red Bull goes for thirteen wins in a row

Saturday in Belgium stands alone with a Sprint Shootout and a sprint race where a maximum of eight points are up for grabs. For Sunday, Red Bull has a reasonable starting position with Verstappen starting from P6 and Perez from P2. "Starting in 6th with Max and with Checo carrying his momentum on to the front row, will make for a good race on Sunday!”