Horner on Verstappen: 'Could make the difference at the end of the season'

Damage for Verstappen

It seemed as if Verstappen was on his way to victory in the British Grand Prix but he was spotted going slowly. The Dutchman thought he had picked up a puncture but a tyre change didn't solve the problem. He had bad damage to his floor. 

"Max's first start was so good. He had great pace today, he was able to get the lead and build a lead. He hit some debris which did some huge damage to the underside of the car. He lost huge downforce. The damage got worse, then we went onto the hard tyre and that made it harder for him. At that point we were racing against Aston Martin and Haas to pick up just a few points and limit the damage," Horner told Sky Sports.

Over the last two seasons, Verstappen has hardly finished off the podium. But Horner was quick to praise Verstappen's fight in the mid-field. "We put a set of softs on and he fought like a lion. I've never known him to fight as hard for a 7th place but that could make the difference at the end of the championship," he added. 

"We've extended Checo's lead over Charles. In the constructors, we've only lost ten points. Considering the day we've had, that's not too bad."