Christian Horner hails Max Verstappen’s second place in Canada

Christian Horner expressed great satisfaction with Max Verstappen’s performance in Montreal. The Dutchman converted his second place on the grid into a solid second place at the finish, narrowly missing out behind George Russell for the victory.

A controlled race for Max Verstappen

The tension was palpable before the start, with both men sharing the front row after an eventful qualifying session. George Russell had joked that he had more penalty points to play with than Max Verstappen in case of a fierce battle on the first lap.

Finally, the start went smoothly, and Max Verstappen then delivered a flawless race, keeping the pressure on George Russell while defending against Kimi Antonelli.

Still under the threat of a suspension with 11 penalty points (the limit being set at 12), the Dutchman will be able to breathe a little easier after the next Grand Prix in Austria, where two of his points will expire.

« It was inevitable that there could be attempts at maneuvering, » explained Christian Horner after the race.

« It’s a point we raised during the drivers’ briefing with the race director, so they would be aware. Because we know this kind of thing can happen. But Max was impeccable all weekend. He really had a very good race. »

An important second place

Red Bull bet on an aggressive strategy, having Max Verstappen pit early to attempt the undercut on George Russell, without success. Despite this, the Austrian car showed a superior pace compared to the McLarens and Ferraris, allowing the Red Bull driver to secure his fifth podium of the season.

« It was a solid race for us. We attacked hard at the beginning of the race with the mediums, but then the tire degraded. The second stint was the least performant, with graining on the front left. But the last stint was very strong, better than Kimi’s behind, and quite close to George’s with a five or six-lap offset on the tires. Overall, a well-executed race with good points at stake », explains the team principal.

Red Bull nonetheless filed a protest against the way George Russell handled the safety car phase at the end of the race. Christian Horner insisted that it came from the team, not from Max Verstappen.

« It’s nothing personal against George. The regulations are clear, black on white. We simply followed the procedure. Remember, Checo received two penalties in Singapore in 2022 for a similar situation. »

The stewards ultimately did not follow up on the protest, but Max Verstappen’s second place still allows him to reduce the championship gap to the McLaren drivers: he now has 155 points, 21 behind Lando Norris and 43 behind Oscar Piastri.