Red Bull’s Christian Horner said Max Verstappen’s victory at the Austrian Grand Prix was exactly what Formula One needed after recent criticism, adding that to have had the result changed due to a penalty would have been “incomprehensible”.
Verstappen claimed a thrilling win on track, passing Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri Bottas and then race-leader Charles Leclerc in the second stint. His pass on Leclerc was a late-braking attempt on the inside of Turn 3 and saw the Ferrari driver squeezed wide after light contact — the stewards investigated it after the race.
After a lengthy delay, the stewards confirmed they would take no further action on what was deemed to have been a racing incident — Ferrari confirmed it will not appeal the decision. Until Sunday, the 2019 season had been dominated by Mercedes, while the application of penalties has been a talking point.
“It’s not worth thinking of [a penalty] because thankfully they made the right decision,” Horner said on Sunday evening. “It’s incomprehensible to think they would have changed the podium after a race like that. It was just the tonic that F1 needed.”
“We were completely convinced it was OK. Then it goes to the stewards, at that point you don’t know. [Former Le Mans winner] Tom Kristensen and the stewards up there today have made absolutely the right choice. One day it will go against us. It was hard racing, fair racing, it’s what F1 should be.”
After a slow start from second on the grid saw him finish the first lap in seventh position, Verstappen fought back up the order, but his race really came alive after his first pit-stop. Horner said the timing of that stop, which gave Verstappen a pace advantage to the cars ahead, was key.
“His tyres were eight to 10 laps younger than the cars ahead and he just put the hammer down. He caught Sebastian, and the Ferraris are so fast on the straight here but we were a lot quickler through Turn 1, so he was able to use that momentum, and then with the DRS he passed him. Then you think OK.
“Hamilton we were pulling away from, and thought, at least we got a podium back today. He started to catch Bottas, but seriously catching him, and then he set the fastest lap of the race and he seemed to have everything under control. And then he passed Bottas pretty straightforwardedly, and then with 10 laps to go you start to believe this could be possible. He kept working away at it, and he was just in much better shape than Charles.
“He passed him once at the top of the hill, but didn’t get the traction out of the corner and Charles was able to drag back past. And then the next lap, he got the move done. It was close racing, he had won the competition in the braking area. There was a touch, as Charles turned in, but I thought it was good racing, tough racing. He was slightly ahead, got to the apex first, it was check mate. Then he got his head down and was pulling away.
“To win here in Austria, Red Bull car, to get Honda’s first win as well since 2006, in the style and manner he did was the perfect day for us.”