Horner case, Verstappen: “We would also put pressure on other teams” | FP

The technical problems with Perez

The first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain seemed to have thrown all the rival teams back into crisis Red Bull and Max Verstappen, by far dominant over the competition just as it was in almost the entire last championship. A result that, however, changed on Day 2, with the best times of Leclerc and Sainz and with the immediate presence of brake problems for Perez, on the track in place of the Dutchman for the whole day. A session therefore not free from difficulties for 'Checo', to the point of pushing the team to exclude Verstappen from the afternoon tests as scheduled, with the world champion returning to the track only on Friday afternoon.

Trust in the team

As a result, Verstappen was available to meet the media in the second half of Thursday, especially with his compatriots De Telegraaf. With the latter, the 26-year-old was very satisfied with the characteristics of the new one RB20 and the drawing already seen last November: “It just happened to come out that way – he has declared – I actually didn't ask anything about it. After that, I didn't either. I have faith in the team to build the fastest car possible. If you have a year like we had, then I totally understand that teams gravitate towards our style. What I like about our team is that she is not conservative. They pushed the limits again by adapting the concept. If they think this is the right path, I fully trust.”

Progress for 2024

A weak point of RB19however, emerged particularly on city ​​circuits. It is no coincidence that, at Marina Bay, the Anglo-Austrian manufacturer failed to achieve the success that would have allowed it to achieve 100% victories throughout 2023: “The challenge is to ensure that these changes do not come at the expense of other areas in which the car was already good. Time will tell if we succeeded.”added the three-time world champion.

The pressure on the Horner case

However, the hottest issue in Red Bull is not linked to the performance or design of the RB20, but rather to Horner case. Accused of sexually transgressive behavior towards a team employee, the Team Principal's future stay in Milton Keynes is now in serious doubt. A very delicate situation which adds to the constant requests for clarification from rival teams (and not only), as demonstrated by the words of McLaren CEO Zak Brown in Thursday's press conference. Horner himself refused to comment on his own story, but the pressure exerted by his rivals is considered natural by Verstappen, who admitted that Red Bull would do the same with the roles reversed: “It's a constant tactic that always comes back – he concluded – this is also typical of Formula 1. What if we would do the same? Yes, absolutely. You're always trying to get your own benefit out of something. It's very logical.”