“Losing pole position fuelled up Max with additional motivation”, explains Horner

Having lost his well-earned pole position after the qualifying session at the Qatar Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner explained that the incident gave the now four-time world champion even more motivation.

Following a low-key showing in Qatar F1 Sprint, Max Verstappen bounced back with an eye-catching performance in the main qualifying for tomorrow’s Qatar Grand Prix. The newly-crowned four-time world champion looked strong from the get-go, with Red Bull having made several tweaks to his RB following the sprint race.

The Dutchman needed a quick lap in the dying seconds of Q3 to beat George Russell, which he was able to deliver to secure his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix.

However, he was stripped of his pole position for a yellow flag incident. The Dutchman was upset by the decision, but he regained the lead at the start of the race, and did not let the victory slip through his fingers despite three safety car interventions.

His team-mate Sergio Perez made a decent getaway this time and was running in the points for much of the race. Although he was unable to replicate the enormous pace Verstappen was dictating at the front, the second safety car intervention put him into a very promising position.

However, he lost control of his RB20 at the second Safety Car restart, spinning off and retiring on a weekend which would have been vital for his future at the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Reflecting on the weekend, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner explained that the yellow-flag incident gave the Max Verstappen even more motivation to fight for the victory in the race.

“That was another masterclass from Max. He was focused and in control throughout the race, his management of the tyres in that first stint was exceptional. I think the Team did a wonderful job in turning around and delivering a car that Max could really put his stamp on.

“It was a shame to lose out on Pole but if anything it gave Max more determination and motivation to lead into turn 1, it was an unbelievable performance by Max and the Team.

“Full credit to the engineering staff for making some big decisions and unlocking the potential of the car here it meant Max had Lando covered throughout the race. It was a little bit crazy here with the punctures but the Team reacted and dealt with everything that came their way, the crew and everybody did a super job,” concluded Horner.