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Horner on crucial moment for Verstappen: "It was a tough win"
- GPblog.com
Christian Horner saw Max Verstappen pull off a hard-fought win at the Miami Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing team boss cites several key moments that led the driver to victory, but perhaps the most crucial moment was in the closing stages of the race.
According to Horner, not only was the overtaking action on Carlos Sainz at the start important, but also tyre management and degradation. "After that last safety car the pressure was on, he just couldn't break out of the DRS. It was vital not to make a mistake," the Red Bull boss told the F1 Nation-podcast.
The Dutchman remained faultless, eventually managing to get out of DRS range for Charles Leclerc. "A great race, a great victory," Horner continued.
Red Bull lost time
On Verstappen's side, Red Bull made a false start to the Grand Prix weekend, virtually losing the driver's practice time on Friday. That difficult start meant that victory came as a surprise to the team boss, who admits that the team would have changed a few things if more data had been available.
The fact that Verstappen managed to pull off the victory therefore earned him a lot of praise from his team boss, who sees Red Bull making significant strides in both championships. "He made an excellent recovery, it was a tough win. Ferrari is a great opponent," Horner concluded.