Christian Horner Reveals Red Bull 'Gamble' That Maybe Cost Max Verstappen His Win

Alex Harrington | Aug 25, 2024

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, speaks at the Red Bull Fan Zone, a private event at Oracle headquarters, on Wednesday October 18, 2023. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

At the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix in the Netherlands, a strategic gamble by Red Bull Racing failed to pay dividends, resulting in Max Verstappen losing a much-anticipated win in his home race, ultimately finishing second to McLaren's Lando Norris.

From the start, Verstappen seized the lead, quickly moving out of DRS range in a demonstration of early dominance. However, the race shifted quickly as he began reporting issues with his car's handling.

Lando Norris, after initially losing his pole position advantage to Verstappen, began to close the gap by lap six, eventually regaining and expanding his lead to a substantial margin. Despite a series of pit stops that shuffled the pack, Norris's commanding performance left his competitors trailing, with Verstappen unable to reclaim his earlier advantage.

Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, reflected deeply on the team's decisions and their impact on the race outcome. In a detailed analysis, Horner explained that the team had opted for a car setup with increased downforce, anticipating benefits that never came to fruition.

"Having got the lead, you suddenly start to think. He managed to break the DRS. But then it was very clear that suddenly Lando from lap 5, 6 onwards started to come back quite hard.

"We just didn't have the pace today. With hindsight, the gamble that we made with the more downforce perhaps wasn't the best route. And looking at Checo's pace, it looked like it was easier for him in the second half of the race. McLaren were very quick today. We've got work to do to get more pace."

Discussing the championship implications, Horner remained pragmatic:

"It's only the fourth time this year his lead has been reduced. But we've got to keep scoring. And on the days you can't win, you've got to finish second. And he did that today. Checo drove a decent race as well. His pace was solid. So we know we need to improve the car. And I think we got some good lessons out of this race."

The Dutch Grand Prix has thus set the stage for a reflective period for Red Bull, as they reassess their approaches. And with the team now only 30 points ahead of McLaren in the Constructor's Standings, the Milton Keynes squad will have to maintain strong competitiveness in the latter stages of the season if they want to retain their lead against the Papaya outfit.

2024 Dutch Grand Prix Results

1. Lando Norris - Fastest Lap
2. Max Verstappen
3. Charles Leclerc
4. Oscar Piastri
5. Carlos Sainz
6. Sergio Perez
7. George Russell
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Pierre Gasly
10. Fernando Alonso
11. Nico Hulkenberg
12. Daniel Ricciardo
13. Lance Stroll
14. Alex Albon
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Logan Sargeant
17. Yuki Tsunoda
18. Valtteri Bottas
19. Zhou Guanyu
20. Kevin Magnussen