Christian Horner

2025 F1 season/2025 Japanese Grand Prix/Christian Horner/Max Verstappen/Red Bull

Verstappen’s pit stop delay was due to Red Bull using reserve crew

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Max Verstappen lost time in his pit stop during the Japanese Grand Prix because two key team members were missing, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained.

Matt and Jon Caller, who are twins, are the team’s number one mechanics. Horner revealed both had to return home this weekend for personal reasons, and the team had to use reserve members of their pit crew.

Verstappen was leading the race when he came into the pits on the same lap as Lando Norris, who was chasing him. Norris’s pit stop was slightly quicker which allowed him to challenge Verstappen at the pit exit, though he ran onto the grass and fell behind the Red Bull.

Horner said Red Bull anticipated McLaren would bring Norris in on the same lap as Verstappen, and the slight loss of time in their pit stop brought the two drivers close together in the pits.

“After they pitted Oscar [Piastri] first it was clear that they were going to pit Lando the following lap,” he told the official Formula 1 channel. “So we pitted to cover [that].

“This weekend the two number one mechanics, that are twins, on the car, unfortunately their dad has not been well so they’ve gone back to the UK. So we’ve got the reserve guys on the pit stop and we had a slightly slower stop than would have been ideal.

“That allowed Lando – thankfully his stop wasn’t stellar either – to get close, but he was never alongside.”

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Norris claimed Verstappen had forced him off the track but race control took no action over the incident. “I think that stewards made the right decision on that,” said Horner.

Not only was Verstappen’s pit stop delayed, the team also failed to complete a planned change in front wing flap angle. That meant his car’s balance did not change as Verstappen intended it to during his second stint.

“At the first pit stop, we didn’t get the front wing adjustment that we wanted into the car and so that compromised his second stint with a bit more understeer than he would have probably liked,” said Horner.

“But again, playing with the tools, working with his engineering team to help him with his diff[erential] settings and so on to help that balance, it was a phenomenal team performance to extract every ounce of performance from the car this weekend.”

Horner praised Verstappen’s error-free run to victory despite sustained pressure from Norris. “There was so little overtaking in that race that it was going to take something Herculean or a big mistake [for] the McLarens to make a pass,” he said.

“It was all about being inch-perfect. Max knew that. He was quick where he needed to be: the last chicane, turn 11, they couldn’t get anywhere near. He kept them just out of the DRS [range].”

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2025 Japanese Grand Prix

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2025 F1 season/2025 Japanese Grand Prix/Christian Horner/Formula 1/Max Verstappen

Verstappen’s team mates need “calmer”, less competitive car set-ups

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Red Bull needs to give Max Verstappen’s team mates less competitive set-ups because they cannot handle his “unique” approach to extracting performance from the car, says team principal Christian Horner.

The team has replaced Liam Lawson as Verstappen’s team mate this weekend after he failed to score points in either of the opening rounds. Horner said he was pleased with Yuki Tsunoda’s performance on his debut for the team in first practice at Suzuka.

“It was certainly a good start for Yuki, settling into the car pretty well,” Horner told Sky. “Obviously it’s quite a different feel to what he’s used to, but I thought he settled in and he gave very good feedback and now both drivers are working away to improve the car for the next session.”

Tsunoda is Verstappen’s third different team mate in the last four races as Red Bull dropped Sergio Perez at the end of last season, only to seek a new replacement soon afterwards. Perez and Lawson both struggled to match Verstappen’s pace in the car and Horner said the team have to accept the need to configure their two cars differently to suit their drivers.

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, Suzuka, 2025
Tsunoda’s first appearance for Red Bull in practice went well

“I think we have to provide a different set-up,” he said. “Max’s ability to extract lap time from the car is unique and I think that we haven’t seen another driver able to do that in the way that Max is able to.”

However that will inevitably mean Verstappen’s team mate’s car is unlikely to match the lap times he can produce, Horner admitted.

“You need to give almost a calmer car to whoever is the partner driver to give a more settled and predictable feel,” he said. “That’s not necessarily the quickest car, but it is definitely a more confidence-inspiring car for whichever driver.”

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This has consequences for Red Bull’s approach to the championships, said Horner, as they are favouring one driver while their rivals try to get the best out of two. “Our rules of engagement are very clear,” he said. “Max is the lead driver and Yuki’s job is to support him as best as he can to retain that drivers’ championship.

Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Albert Park, Melbourne, 2025
Report: Even the best driver on the grid needs a team mate to push them – Norris

“The performance that he’s just put in that last session is exactly where we want him to be, to be up there able to support Max.

“Our advantage is that we’re very clear in that strategy. Of course McLaren have got two drivers fighting for a championship, they’ll be taking points theoretically off each other. Ferrari the same, so in a very tight battle, sometimes you’ve got to back your horse.”

He described Verstappen as a once-in-a-generation talent, but admitted that pursuing his development preferences has left them with a car others cannot drive as successfully. “Being his team mate is arguably the toughest job in Formula 1,” said Horner.

“Sergio Perez for four years, for three of those years did a pretty decent job. He was second in the drivers’ championship in ’23, third in ’22 and managed to win some very decent races.

“Of course the development direction that we push to extract performance from the car, we’re always looking to create the fastest car, whether that was in 2021 or ’22, ’23, and of course last year was a lot tougher. But Max is very clear what he wants from the car and of course that will always give you a stronger return if we can give him what he’s looking for.”

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Horner admitted the team made a mistake by promoting Lawson after just 11 grand prix appearances. “With hindsight I think we just asked too much too soon from Liam,” he said.

Liam Lawson's shock early exit from Red Bull examined in five charts
Stats: Hired to fired in 98 days – Lawson’s shock early exit from Red Bull in five charts

“We’ve got a lot of work to do with the car and unfortunately I think that sometimes you’ve got to be cruel to be kind.

“But he’s not out of Formula 1. He’s gone back to the Racing Bulls, we still believe in him as a talent for the future and making use of Yuki’s experience will hopefully enable the engineers to make faster progress with the car.”

Tsunoda “brings experience and I think that knowledge is very useful as this season is all going to be about a development race,” said Horner. “That’s why we took the decision early.

“I think Liam would have got there but it might have taken five, six, seven races or half a season. We don’t have that amount of time so after discussing it internally we decided we’ve got to rip the plaster off this now and get on with it. That’s what we chose to do and Yuki’s jumped in and done a good job initially.”

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Christian Horner/exclusive/F1/Formula 1/Helmut Marko/Max Verstappen/Max Verstappen news/Red Bull Racing

How, for Verstappen, Marko's departure at Red Bull went from no-go to a must

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Forever grateful. After all, it was the same Helmut Marko who gave the young Max Verstappen a chance in Formula One when he was only 16, thus spearheading a brilliant career in the sport. But that was then and now is a different world for Verstappen. In the interests of Red Bull Racing, it has become a must that both team principal Christian Horner and also Marko leave, GPblog has learned.

Christian Horner/F1/F1 news/Formula 1/Helmut Marko/Liam Lawson/Max Verstappen/Max Verstappen news/Nico Hulkenberg/Red Bull Racing/Yuki Tsunoda

Ralf Schumacher: 'Red Bull should have gotten rid of Lawson altogether'

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Former F1 driver, Ralf Schumacher, has criticised Red Bull Racing’s approach to its drivers’ management, claiming Yuki Tsunoda taking over from Liam Lawson is yet another wrong choice, with the German he would have picked a different driver to take the second seat at the Austrian team next to Max Verstappen.

Christian Horner/F1/F1 news/Formula 1/Helmut Marko/Liam Lawson/Max Verstappen/Racing Bulls/Red Bull Racing/Yuki Tsunoda

Lawson was fighting a loosing battle: 'Max probably the best F1 driver ever'

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Former F1 driver, Jaime Alguersuari, has weighed in on Red Bull Racing’s decision to replace Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, and claimed the Kiwi driver did not became the worst driver in two weeks, highlighting the impossible task of measuring up to ‘probably the best F1 driver ever’, Max Verstappen.

Christian Horner/F1 news/Formula 1/Helmut Marko/Liam Lawson/Max Verstappen/Racing Bulls/Red Bull Racing/Yuki Tsunoda

'Red Bull plays with young drivers' careers and futures nonchalantly'

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Former F1 driver Christian Danner believes that Red Bull Racing’s decision to bring Yuki Tsunoda in and demote Liam Lawson to Racing Bull is not appropriate and thinks the team should focus on making changes to a car that the Japanese driver ‘is not looking forward to driving at all’.

Christian Horner/F1/F1 news/Formula 1/Helmut Marko/Liam Lawson/Max Verstappen/Max Verstappen news/Red Bull Racing/Yuki Tsunoda

F1 Today | Lawson-Tsunoda swap official, and Red Bull have crisis meeting

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It’s been a day full of stories flying out from Red Bull Racing and Milton Kenyes, as the swap between Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda was offically annoucned today. At the Austrian’s team factory in England, a crisis meeting was held to discuss how to imrpove their pace, but Helmut Marko was not present. As well as that, Max Verstappen announced that he will be racing with a spevial helmet for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.

Christian Horner/exclusive/F1/Formula 1/Helmut Marko/Max Verstappen/Max Verstappen news/Red Bull Racing

Crisis meeting at Red Bull Racing includes Verstappen, but no Marko

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On the day Red Bull Racing officially announced the immediate appointment of Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s teammate, there is also a crisis meeting at the Austrian team. The topic of discussion in Milton Keynes is how to improve the RB21 so that it can compete seriously at the front of the grid again. But, a notable absence from the important meeting is advisor Helmut Marko.