It was a near-perfect result for Red Bull Racing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez converting pole position into a well-defended victory and Max Verstappen recovering from his starting position of fifteenth to a second place result.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner was impressed by Verstappen’s charge through the field, defying the competition and minimising the impact of the reliability issue he suffered during Q2 of Saturday qualifying. He was likewise pleased with Perez’s drive, describing his campaign as one of his absolute best.
“What a race! All credit to the Team today. They’ve built an incredible car. That coupled with some truly fantastic driving has made for the best start to a season in our history, consecutive 1-2 finishes.
“Max had a mountain to climb, overcoming a significant deficit, but with over half the race to go, was already in P4. Similarly, Checo turned in an equally outstanding performance, perhaps the best drive I have ever seen from him.”
The team came away with the maximum number of points possible in Jeddah, securing not only a one-two but also fastest lap. Horner said that the drivers put maximum effort into their battle for the victory, resulting in outstanding performances from the pair.
“They were both going flat out, hard at it. Both drivers were free to race and they went for it. Max secured the fastest lap and Checo came away with the victory. It was an exemplary performance from both drivers, the Team here at the track and everyone back at the factory.”
Though ecstatic about their performance in Saudi Arabia, Horner said that it will be important to keep on top of their game for the Australian Grand Prix, which has been a historically challenging event for the Red Bulls.
“There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into a race such as this and it is the epitome of a team performing at the top of their game. We won’t rest on it though, Australia is just around the corner. It is a track that has not been kind to us in the past so we want to ensure we are prepared, just as we were here, to give us the best chance of success and another first class performance.”
