14/04/2025 07:25
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has issued a response to
Max Verstappen's suggestion that he is not currently in a
championship fight. Verstappen endured a difficult qualifying on
Saturday in Bahrain and ended the session in seventh place, leaving
him to assert he is not a contender for the title. While the
Dutchman remained hopeful over the possibility of his fortunes
changing during the season, he endured a difficult grand prix as he
struggled with the car's balance and overheating issues which
hampered his pace. Verstappen crossed the line in sixth place,
moving to third in the standings behind Oscar Piastri who dominated
en route to victory. With another 20 races scheduled on the
calendar, Horner asserted it is too early for Verstappen to be
counted out. "It's a 24-race championship," Horner told media
including RacingNews365 . "We're eight points behind in the
drivers' championship. "We know we need to make progress very
quickly. So it was important to score points, he fought for every
point that he could in a difficult car. "It's how they add up at
the end of the year that's important." As well as his concerns with
the car, Verstappen lost further time in the pit lane as a
malfunctioning gantry light and a stuck tyre cost him on two
separate stops. Despite having a double-point finish for the first
time this year, Red Bull's 10 points from Bahrain marked its lowest
weekend haul of the season so far. "It was a bad weekend for the
team, nothing went our way from the start of the start of the
race," Horner added. "The start, we didn't get off the line cleanly
and the pit stops didn't work well for us. "The tyre degradation,
temperatures got very high. If you've got a well-balanced car, the
whole thing just comes together that much easier.
