McLaren are running away with the constructors’ title and Red Bull know their best chance of silverware is to focus everything on making Max Verstappen a five-time drivers’ champion
Christian Horner said he needs Yuki Tsunoda ‘in play’ to help Max Verstappen’s title bid(Image: Getty Images)
Christian Horner wants Yuki Tsunoda to narrow the performance gap to Max Verstappen. It comes after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix where upgrades gave Red Bull a car in which the Dutchman could not only battle with McLaren but go faster.
The result was his second victory of the year ahead of Lando Norris, while championship leader Oscar Piastri had to settle for third. But McLaren still outscored Red Bull overall with Tsunoda 10th after a strong recovery drive following his dramatic crash in qualifying at Imola.
Red Bull trail McLaren by 148 points but Verstappen is only 22 behind Piastri in his hunt for a fifth consecutive Formula 1 drivers’ title. And team principal Horner is pleased with the progress his staff have made in terms of making the car more driveable.
He said: “I think, definitely, we’ve managed to put some performance on the car and to get the car into a better window. As soon as you take away the sliding, you’re able to manage the temperature a lot better. That was really encouraging.
READ MORE: Oscar Piastri in ‘world of pain’ as Christian Horner goads McLaren over Max Verstappen winREAD MORE: F1 star begs ‘stop harassing my family’ as Imola GP marred by vile abuse
“To have the pace that we did in the race, I would say it’s probably since Brazil last year, which was obviously a wet race, is the first I can remember in a long time we’ve had the pace to really pull away and out-deg the McLaren.
“So that’s very encouraging, and a great result for the effort that’s gone in behind the scenes.”
Horner has claimed the fact McLaren have two drivers going for the title puts them at a disadvantage, because they are taking points off each other while Verstappen is the undisputed top dog at Red Bull. But he also concedes that it would be helpful for the Dutchman to have his team-mate close by to help on track.
Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£43
£35
Sky
Formula 1 fans can watch every practice, qualifying and race live with Sky’s new Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in a new deal that saves £192.
As well as Sky Sports access, this includes more than 100 TV channels and free subscriptions to Netflix and Discovery+.
Asked by Mirror Sport if the onus is now on Tsunoda to get closer to Verstappen, Horner replied: “The constructors’ is very much a long shot at the moment so all our focus is on the drivers’, but having him in play is really important.
“It was a shame because he drove a good race today – had he started in position, he would have been much further up. Hopefully, that will come over the coming races.”
Yuki Tsunoda’s dramatic crash in qualifying at Imola(Image: F1 TV)
Regarding Tsunoda’s crash, which left him last on the grid before the team elected to give him new parts which led to a pit lane start, Horner added: “That was a nasty-looking accident. It’s always important to bounce back and I thought he did that very well today.
“He raced hard, but fairly, under a lot of pressure from Fernando [Alonso] on better tyres and didn’t make any mistakes. He passed well. I think he’ll take a lot of confidence out of that, heading into one of the most confident-required races in Monaco next week.”
Sign up to our free weekly F1 newsletter, Pit Lane Chronicle, by entering your email address below so that every new edition lands straight in your inbox!