Horner sighs: "It could have been a great race for Verstappen"

The British Grand Prix was not a great race for Max Verstappen, but Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner believes it could have been. The Briton is disappointed with Verstappen's troubles, as things initially looked good for the Dutchman.

Horner balks at Verstappen's problems

Verstappen picked up debris from the tarmac at Silverstone, losing the race lead a lap after his overtaking move on Carlos Sainz. Verstappen immediately came in for new tyres as he suspected a puncture. The tyre turned out not to be flat, but it wouldn't have made a big difference. The RB18 had been damaged by the piece of carbon that Verstappen had driven over, which meant that the car was out of balance.

Although the disadvantage for Verstappen was only limited to the balance of the RB18 and there was no terminal damage present, Verstappen could no longer compete for the top positions. Team boss Horner is disappointed and says in the Red Bull debrief: "It was a shame, because I think it could have been a great race for him today. In the end, every point counts and he fought just as hard for P7 as he would have fought for a victory."

Perez performed phenomenally

Horner called the performance of the other Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez phenomenal. The Mexican had suffered front wing damage at the start of the race but, despite an early pit stop and nose change, was able to make up ground and finish second. The safety car helped. The team boss doesn't seem worried about Carlos Sainz' win or the points Ferrari gained this weekend. Horner concludes: "The biggest result today is that all the drivers are in reasonable condition, given the big crashes we saw today."