Christian Horner hails Max Verstappen for extracting “absolutely everything” out of RB20 in Mexican GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen secures P2 in Mexican GP Qualifying, impressing Christian Horner with his performance despite engine issues.

Christian Horner hails Max Verstappen for extracting “absolutely everything” out of RB20 in Mexican GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko (via BILD)

Max Verstappen and Red Bull had a tough run compared to their weekend in Austin. The Dutchman reported multiple issues at Friday’s practice session. He reported hearing abnormal noises from his Honda engines expressing a loss of power. This prompted Red Bull to change his engine before qualifying to avoid grid penalty.

Max Verstappen expressed his disappointment about what he called a useless Friday, struggling with technical issues that limited his laps. Despite this setback, qualifying presented a different scenario for him and Red Bull.

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The team changed the engine, but the 27-year-old still felt discomfort that prevented him from pushing his limits. He expected to finish in the second row but was pleasantly surprised to secure P2. By beating Lando Norris, he turned a challenging day into a positive result. Team principal Christian Horner was astonished by the reigning world champion’s performance in qualifying.

He pointed out that Verstappen could have improved his lap time by about a hundredth of a second if he hadn’t had his time deleted for going off track at Turn 2. Despite this setback, Horner expressed great satisfaction with how the Dutchman handled the car. The 50-year-old highlighted that Verstappen extracted every bit of performance during qualifying.

He probably half a hundredth with the laptime deleted at turn 2. I am very happy with the performance of Max, he dragged absolutely everything out of the car.

Christian Horner said, as reported by Viaplay

Christian Horner brands Sergio Perez’s quail as ‘very disappointing’

Sergio Perez faced a disappointing qualifying session at his home race, which was not what he had hoped for. He struggled with braking issues that made it difficult for him to control the car and attack corners effectively.

Sergio Perez and Christian Horner
Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (via IMAGO)

As a result, he was eliminated in Q1, ending up 18th on the grid. Team principal Christian Horner acknowledged the disappointment for Checo, who had promised to perform better. However, he remained optimistic that the Mexican could perform well on Sunday and possibly finish in the top 10.

He’s been struggling, he was saying, with the car. So under braking and on corner entry. So, of course, it’s a big difference between the time in the two cars. So very disappointing for him, particularly in front of his home crowd. But I’m sure he’ll give it everything tomorrow.

Christian Horner said.

The persistent braking issue has significantly hindered Checo’s performance at his home race, disappointing both his fans and the team. Despite this, fans remain thrilled to support their country boy, showing loyalty and belief in his potential to bounce back.