Formula 1: We had the pace to beat McLaren, says Horner after Jeddah fightback from Red Bull

New Delhi, April 23 (IANS) After a frustrating outing in Bahrain and a shaky start to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, Red Bull Racing bounced back with authority in Jeddah, and Team Principal Christian Horner was quick to heap praise on the engineers and the squad for their remarkable turnaround.

Max Verstappen, starting from pole, looked set to clinch a hard-fought win but had to settle for second place behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. A five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on the opening lap ultimately proved costly for the reigning champion, who still managed to finish just 2.8 seconds behind the race winner.

Horner, however, chose to look at the bigger picture. “Let’s focus on the positives. We finished second and had the pace – which on Friday, it looked like McLaren had a 1.2s advantage on the field. This is the most competitive we’ve been in a race all season.”

The Jeddah circuit brought Red Bull back to life. While Verstappen lost track position mid-race, he closed in on Piastri during the final laps, showcasing pace and tyre management even after an intense early stint. Horner acknowledged that the team had unlocked significant speed in both medium and hard compounds by Sunday. “I think the engineering team did a great job in turning the car around. The pace was encouraging.”

This result was critical for Verstappen, who remains well within striking distance in the Drivers' Championship—just 12 points behind Piastri and two behind Lando Norris.

The challenge now is consistency. After mixed performances in Bahrain and China but strong showings in Japan and Saudi Arabia, Red Bull are still searching for a full understanding of the RB21's track-specific traits. “Bahrain was an outlier. We were out of a window, and we’re working hard to fix that,” Horner added.

Looking ahead to the Miami Grand Prix, Horner remains cautious. McLaren looked particularly fast in hot conditions during Friday practice in Saudi Arabia—conditions likely to mirror those in Florida. “Certainly their pace in the heat on Friday was insane, but they couldn’t replicate it in the race. We’ll take the positives from Jeddah and focus on Miami.”

--IANS

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