Horner thinks Verstappen win is huge boost at factory

Red Bull Racing came back strong in Saudi Arabia after a dramatic weekend in Bahrain. Team boss Christian Horner admits he is relieved that both drivers managed to finish in the top four in Jeddah.

In Bahrain, Horner saw both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez drop out in the closing stages of the Grand Prix while his drivers were running in second and fourth place just before the dropouts. The Briton was therefore extra pleased with the result in Jeddah: "Yes, it was great to rebound after the issues we had," he is quoted by Crash.net.

Verstappen won the race after a blistering battle with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Perez started from pole position in Saudi Arabia but was unlucky with an unfortunate safety car after a crash by Nicholas Latifi. He eventually finished in fourth position.

"What I’m particularly pleased with is we probably came onto the development of this car later than our rivals," Horner continued. According to the Briton, the whole team focused on the RB16B until very late in the season. Because Red Bull worked longer than expected on the 2021 car, there was a lot less time left for the 2022 car than desired.