Red Bull Chief Flattened By Max Verstappen's Retirement: "A Great Shame"
Christian Horner has spoken to Sky Sports F1 after the qualifying session for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was a mixed bag for the Red Bull team.
Max Verstappen was forced to retire from Q2 leaving him starting in fifteenth on the grid tomorrow. The two-time champion had to put his RB19 into limp mode to be able to get back to the pits before jumping out of the car, confirming his retirement.
During his post-qualifying interview, Horner confirmed that Verstappen had encountered a driveshaft issue. He explained:
"Yes, that is what it looks like at the moment.
"A great shame because that one lap he did in Q1 would have still put him fourth on the grid.
"But nevertheless, we have a quick race car and I am sure he will race quickly."
The FIA confirmed ahead of qualifying that Red Bull had also replaced Verstappen's gearbox, however, Horner confirmed this was just part of the strategy. He continued:
"There wasn't a concern.
"It was just part of our strategy of introducing parts into the pool."
Moving on to more positive aspects of the qualifying session for the Austrian team was Sergio Perez's pole position. Horner went on to react to the "phenomenal" moment, saying:
"The lap from Checo, the first lap in Q3, that was phenomenal.
"To get his second pole, I am delighted for him."