Ricciardo driving into Verstappen certainly wasn't the plan for Red Bull, but team principal Christian Horner has revealed that the strategy of the Bulls wasn't working to begin with, crash aside.
After the dust settled (and after Horner settled down), he explained what the Red Bull tactics were during the race.
"Ricciardo was ahead of Max so we got him in first," he told Autosport.com.
"The guys had driven a long stint on the supers, which meant we could attack on the quick-heating ultra-softs.
"But Max's in-lap was way better, while Daniel was giving it his all in his out-lap.
"That's why they met on the track, which wasn't the plan.
"Add to that that Daniels tyres were heating up faster, and that's why Daniel was so close to Max."
So, the idea was to let Ricciardo hunt for a podium place and to let Verstappen chase his teammate, as they were hoping for a late safety car.
"For the last quarter portion of the race we hoped on that, so we could benefit from the ultra-softs.
"What we didn't expect is that we would be the reason for the safety car..."
Read more about:
Today
Popular on GPBlog
1
How Christian Horner scored a significant victory over Toto Wolff
838 times read
2
Why is the most logical option for Verstappen in '26 never mentioned?
739 times read
3
This F1 driver left the biggest impression on Marko in 2025 so far: 'His approach is good!'
434 times read
4
The 2026 engine regulations are being overhauled: Here's what changes
415 times read