Horner weighs up options: 'We'll definitely have to consider that now'

Qualifying could have been very different for Red Bull Racing due to Max Verstappen's faulty DRS. Christian Horner said the Dutchman's lap was otherwise strong and he's confident the problem can be fixed.

Although Max Verstappen flew on the asphalt of Circuit Zandvoort, technically not everything went right for the Dutchman. Not only did he have gear change problems, but the DRS didn't open in the last sector of qualifying. This caused stress for Christian Horner on the pit wall. "It was a bit stressful at the end because the DRS didn't open in the last part of the lap. So he lost about a tenth, tenth and a half. Luckily he had an incredible middle sector. It was a bit tight because Lewis just came and came and came," the team boss told Ziggo Sport.

Hopefully, the problem won't reappear during the race, but according to Horner, Verstappen doesn't have to worry about it. "I think it's something we can fix, we just need to understand why and what happened. It's the kind of thing in parc fermé that they probably just give permission to fix," Horner explained.

New engine for Perez?

Another problem for Red Bull Racing is just the situation of Sergio Perez. Indeed, the Mexican didn't get beyond P16 and therefore won't be able to provide any backing for his teammate tomorrow. "It was a bit of a timing problem on our side. There was enough time, but unfortunately, it didn't work out with what happened at the end of the pit lane, where everyone was waiting and waiting. So he got held up there and even in the out-lap we could see it was going to be tight, so we told him to push, but at the end of the lap there were a lot of cars. So it was very frustrating."

However, it could potentially provide Red Bull Racing with other options, namely collecting new parts for Perez and deliberately taking a penalty now. "It's something we will have to consider. We have to look at all the advantages and the disadvantages. But we will definitely consider it because we are definitely going to get a penalty between now and the end of the year," the team boss concluded.