Verstappen forced "uncomfortable" Red Bull F1 situation as Horner mocked

03 August 2023 , 09:28

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Christian Horner talks with Max Verstappen in Belgium (Image: Getty Images)

Red Bull chief Christian Horner found himself mocked by his own race engineer in Spa after ruling against Max Verstappen trying to take maximum points.

Verstappen's complete dominance of this 2023 F1 World Championship continued in Belgium, winning the Saturday Sprint race from McLaren's Oscar Piastri. And despite starting in sixth due to a five-place penalty for a new gearbox, then came the now familiar sight of him taking the chequered flag on Sunday, finishing a full 22 seconds clear of teammate Sergio Perez.

It represented a 10th Grand Prix victory in 12 races this year for the Dutch star, with the drivers' championship already all but over. He stands a mammoth 125 points clear of the Mexican in the standings, with the pair 256 ahead in the Constructors' race.

But there was one point which escaped the 25-year-old on the weekend. Verstappen failed to take the bonus for the fastest lap award, with that honour instead going to Lewis Hamilton amid his fourth-placed finish.

And yet, the opportunity was there in the latter stages with the runaway leader way out in front, only for Horner to rule out a late attempt from the pit lane. The Team Principal even resisted digs from Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who poked fun at his boss for his apparent lack of bravado.

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Tackled by Sky F1 as to why his driver seemingly turned down a tilt at the fastest time, Horner explained: “No, I could see what was going on and 'GP' was taking the mickey out of me saying ‘why not?’

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“And I think we’ve done enough this weekend, the sprint race, a one-two finish, I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise that signing-off into the summer break. Plus the fact it was a pretty high marker that Max put down on what was supposed to be a gentle out-lap!”

It is unlikely that anyone in the Red Bull garage will be losing too much sleep over the summer recess though, as the team cruises towards another trophy double this season. Drivers renew hostilities from the weekend of August 25-27 in Holland, at what will be Verstappen's home Grand Prix.

It's a venue where his 2021 title rival Hamilton was relentlessly booed by home fans last year, leading to criticism from the British driver. The Red Bull man is aiming for a fourth straight win at Circuit Zandvoort.

Fraser Watson