Horner's mouth falls open with surprise: "The pace that Verstappen had..."

"Unbelievable. The pace he [Verstappen] had... the lap time was so good that he didn't need to do the second run. So, we saved the engine mileage. It was a phenomenal performance. Q2, also on a set of used tyres, the lap time he set. He is on fire this weekend," Horner praised his Dutch pupil.

Verstappen will have to find a way forward from fifteenth spot on Sunday. Verstappen and Red Bull will not settle for anything less than a podium finish. At the same time, Perez will have to try to overtake Sainz on the tarmac.

"We're in for a fantastic race tomorrow with Max and Charles fighting their way through the field. Checo is perfectly poised to take on Carlos. There will be a lot to keen on top of tomorrow," concludes the team boss of the Milton Keynes-based stable.