Horner has an explanation for the problems for Verstappen and Perez

"We changed a few things. We did a long run at the beginning when the track was not in great condition. We probably damaged the tyres a bit when the track was a bit rubbish. Then everything looks horrible. Went on to the soft tyre and the car was in a much better window. You could hear Max was a lot happier with it. When you're coming from six seconds off on a race run to then be expected to go and deliver a lap, that's very very difficult to do. So actually, I was quite encouraged with that," Horner said on Sky Sports.

What is going wrong at Red Bull?

Verstappen was quick on the qualifying simulations immediately, but Sergio Perez struggled much more. The Mexican was a second and a half slower than Verstappen in that run and ended the session in P13. Perez was unable to return to the circuit after the late red flag. He was the only driver who didn't get out before the red light came on.

However, Horner says the focus on the race simulations are essential for Sunday's race: "Absolutely, because if the degradation is like that then it'll be about a four-stop race. So we won’t have enough tyres. They open the circuit up [to the public] and it gets dirty in the day and so on. So at the beginning of the race, the track could be in a pretty dirty state," Horner warned.

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton