Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has explained why the team instructed Max Verstappen to hand back a position to George Russell in the tense closing stages of Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix – a call that ultimately contributed to Verstappen’s controversial clash with the Mercedes driver.
The incident, which resulted in a 10-second penalty and three penalty points for Verstappen, saw the Dutchman drop from a potential podium to 10th at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
While Horner declined to directly address Verstappen’s lunge into Russell at Turn 5 – as he hadn’t spoken with the Dutchman by the time he spoke with the media – he did offer clarity on the strategic decisions and race dynamics that led to Verstappen’s frustration.
The Logic Behind the Order
Running an aggressive three-stop strategy, Red Bull had no choice but to fit hard tyres on Verstappen’s RB20 during a late-race safety car period.
The decision left him vulnerable to rivals on fresher, softer rubber in the final laps.
“The safety car came out at probably the worst possible time in terms of our strategy, because you're faced with the choice of – do you stay out on an eight-lap old, heavily pushed soft tyre, at which point you would get eaten up at the restart, and it looked like there would be circa 10 racing laps left,” Horner explained.
“Unfortunately, the only set of tyres that we had available was a new set of hards. Our feeling was that a new set of hards was better than an eight-lap-old, heavily degraded set of softs.
“You don't want to stay on that set of tyres because you know everybody else has taken a fresh set.”
Horner admit that in hindsight, the team would have not made the call.
“In 20/20 hindsight, you'd have left him out,” he said. “He would have got passed by the two McLarens. Would he have got passed by Leclerc? You never know.
“You make a decision with the information you have at hand. The risk with going onto the three-stop is that in a safety car scenario, in the last third of the race or quarter of the race, you're exposed."
A Margin of Error
Verstappen’s hard tyres lacked the grip to defend effectively after the restart, and both Charles Leclerc and George Russell pounced. Russell’s move into Turn 1 forced Verstappen wide, triggering Red Bull to preemptively instruct their driver to cede the position.
“It was very, very marginal,” said Horner. “It looked for all intents and purposes that it was going to be a penalty, so therefore the instruction was given to Max to give that place back, which he was obviously upset and annoyed about because he felt that, one, he'd been left no space and, two, that George hadn't been fully in control.”
Red Bull's call to give up the position was based on recent precedents and an attempt to stay ahead of any potential sanction from the FIA stewards.
"It's very hard for the team to try and make that call because you're going on historical precedents. You're trying to pre-empt what the stewards and the race directors are thinking.
“So, I think it would be beneficial to the teams, in that instance, for the race director to make that call and say you either give it back or you get a penalty, rather than having to try and second-guess what the stewards are going to think.”
Ultimately, the stewards ruled Russell had not been fully in control and that Verstappen wasn’t required to yield. But by then, the moment had passed — and Verstappen, visibly agitated, launched an ill-judged move that earned him a 10-second penalty and three penalty points.
Max Reaches Boiling Point
Horner said Verstappen’s frustration had been building as events unfolded.
“Max was obviously upset because, first of all, he's had Leclerc take a swipe at him on the straight. And then he's got dive-bombed at Turn 1 by George. And the way that these regulations are now, it's all about where that front axle is.
“We've seen so many occasions this year where penalties have been given. We've seen it been noted and we've seen it gone to the stewards.
“The next thing is, you're expecting to get a penalty. So that's why it was: 'OK, you know what? We're going to have to give this place up.’”
Aftermath and Reflection
Verstappen was classified 10th after serving the time penalty and receiving three more points on his super licence, bringing his total to 11 over the last 12 months — just one shy of a race ban.
His move drew widespread criticism, with some pundits, including 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, calling for a black flag.
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Verstappen offers mea culpa: Move against Russell ‘was not right’While Verstappen initially stayed silent on Sunday, he posted a reflective message Monday morning on Instagram.
“Our tyre choice to the end and some moves after the safety car restart fuelled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened. I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal.”
As Red Bull looks to the Canadian Grand Prix, Horner’s explanation highlights the complexities of split-second strategy calls and the fine margins that define Formula 1 racing.
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