Grand Prix

Christian Horner Reacts to Max Verstappen's 'Stunner' Pole Position Lap in Jeddah

Nelson Espinal|
May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Christian Horner team principal of the Red Bull Formula One looks on from the grid before the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images
May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Christian Horner team principal of the Red Bull Formula One looks on from the grid before the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images | John David Mercer-Imagn Images

In a stunning turn of events, Max Verstappen secured a massively impressive pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Red Bull seemed to be flailing in Bahrain, struggling to get much performance out of the RB21, but now the last leg of the triple-header in Jeddah has delivered a welcome surprise to the team.

Numerous reports emerged about a crisis meeting occurring after the Bahrain Grand Prix, and Horner considered the pole position the perfect response to the paddock chatter.

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"I mean it's our second pole in three weeks so you know it's an incredible performance by Max again but you know we were able to give him a car again," Horner said.

"That lap was another stunner for Max."

"The Delta we saw in P3 seemed to vanish and quickest in Q1 and then we took a bit of a gamble."

"We ran those two laps in Q3 and I think it was the best strategy to give him the chance to get the pole."

Red Bull employed an interesting strategy during qualifying, providing enough fuel for two push laps in the car for Q3, which led to Verstappen executing back-to-back flat-out laps.

Red Bull benefited from McLaren's Lando Norris crashing out, which positioned Oscar Piastri and George Russell as the main competition for pole.

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Regarding the race on Sunday, Horner maintains realistic expectations considering the advantage that the McLaren car has with tire wear.

"Well look I mean Lando's starting P10, he's got a lot of cars to pass I think. To beat Oscar tomorrow is going to be very very tough," Horner told the media.

"We see that car with temperature is you know works very well, but we're starting in the best place and you know if you get the start, you get the fresh air you know that's the best place to be."

In light of the RB21's performance trends, the result is the best possible for the team.

More News: Max Verstappen: RB21 'Too Slow' After Red Bull 'Struggle For Pace'

Oscar Piastri narrowly missed out on pole by just one hundredth of a second, and he will be vying for the race win given the car's strong race pace.

For Verstappen, that is an amazing qualifying performance, the second in the past three race weekends, showing his pace over one lap.

For more F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.

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Nelson Espinal
NELSON ESPINAL

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. Avidly following of everything ranging from motorsports to Mixed Martial Arts to tennis, he is connected with most of the sports world at all times. His dream of writing about sports started at 16 years of age, writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passions for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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