Formula 1: Horner Believes Red Bull Had the Speed to Outperform McLaren After Jeddah Comeback

Synopsis

After a challenging start to the season, Red Bull Racing made a strong comeback in Jeddah. Team Principal Christian Horner commended the team's efforts, emphasizing their potential to compete with McLaren. Max Verstappen's performance, despite a penalty, showcased their improved pace.

Key Takeaways

Red Bull Racing demonstrated a strong recovery in Jeddah.
Max Verstappen finished second, just behind Oscar Piastri.
The team is focused on improving consistency moving forward.
Horner praised the engineering team for enhancing the car's performance.
Looking ahead to the Miami Grand Prix, they aim to build on their Jeddah success.

New Delhi, April 23 (NationPress) Following a challenging experience in Bahrain and an uncertain kickoff to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing made a significant comeback in Jeddah. Team Principal Christian Horner praised the engineers and team for their outstanding resurgence.

Max Verstappen, who began the race from pole position, aimed for a hard-earned victory but ultimately took second place behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. A five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track during the opening lap was detrimental for the reigning champion, who finished just 2.8 seconds behind the race winner.

Horner, however, focused on the positives: “Let’s focus on the positives. We finished second and had the pace – which on Friday, it appeared that McLaren had a 1.2s edge over the field. This has been our most competitive race of the season.”

The Jeddah circuit revitalized Red Bull. Despite losing track position mid-race, Verstappen closed in on Piastri during the latter laps, demonstrating excellent pace and tire management after an intense early phase. Horner acknowledged that the team had unlocked significant speed in both medium and hard compounds by Sunday. “I think the engineering team did a fantastic job in improving the car. The pace was promising.”

This outcome was crucial for Verstappen, who remains well within contention in the Drivers' Championship—just 12 points behind Piastri and two behind Lando Norris.

The current challenge is consistency. After varied performances in Bahrain and China but strong results in Japan and Saudi Arabia, Red Bull continues to seek a thorough understanding of the RB21's track-specific characteristics. “Bahrain was an anomaly. We were out of our comfort zone, and we’re diligently working to address that,” Horner added.

As the Miami Grand Prix approaches, Horner maintains a cautious outlook. McLaren appeared exceptionally fast in hot conditions during Friday practice in Saudi Arabia—conditions likely to be replicated in Florida. “Certainly their pace in the heat on Friday was remarkable, but they couldn’t maintain it during the race. We’ll take the positives from Jeddah and concentrate on Miami.”