Horner on success in Imola: 'Much more careful with that than Ferrari'

Whereas Ferrari still dominated in Australia, at the Imola Grand Prix it was Red Bull Racing that was in control. The team has a good explanation for the difference with the previous race.

In Melbourne Max Verstappen could not keep up with the pace of Charles Leclerc, but in Imola the roles were reversed. The Dutchman quickly managed to build a gap towards the rest of the field. Leclerc was mainly concerned with Sergio Perez during the race, but the Monegasque spun in the closing stages of the race when he tried to get closer to the Mexican.

It is clear that there are considerable fluctuations from race to race. One time Leclerc dominates, two weeks later it's suddenly Verstappen again. Yet Red Bull's strong return after the Dutchman's DNF had a good explanation. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner commented after the race that the updates the team introduced in Italy worked out well. The result was more downforce and a lighter car.

Red Bull more cautious

The key to the double podium was therefore mainly in the set-up according to the Red Bull team boss. In Australia, the team was completely wrong and Verstappen complained several times about the balance of the RB18. "We were much more careful with the tyres here in Imola than Ferrari", Horner is quoted by Auto, Motor und Sport.