Max Verstappen had to settle for sixth place in Bahrain, a stark contrast to the Dutchman’s magnificent victory a week earlier in Japan. The RB21 faced numerous issues at the Bahrain International Circuit, including tyre management and balance problems. Consequently, a crisis meeting was held within Red Bull immediately after the race. However, team boss Christian Horner did not seem to panic afterwards.
With a sixth place for Max Verstappen and a ninth place for Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull was able to somewhat limit the damage during a weekend full of problems in Bahrain. However, advisor Helmut Marko immediately sounded the alarm after the race. A crisis meeting was also immediately held in the Red Bull hospitality suite, attended by Horner, Marko, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, and technical director Pierre Waché.
However, after the meeting, Christian Horner seemed to downplay Red Bull’s problems somewhat. “We had two problems this weekend. A brake problem and a balance problem. In addition, we also had an issue with a wire in the pit lane. But we still managed to secure a sixth place (with Verstappen) and only lost eight points to Lando (Norris).”Verstappen Laments: ‘Everything That Could Go Wrong, Did Go Wrong’
“I think the problems can be masked through adjustments, as we did last weekend in Suzuka. But this race clearly showed some weaknesses we have, and we need to improve them,” the team boss continues. “We know where the problems are, but bringing the solutions takes a bit longer.” The team boss emphasizes that there is currently no good correlation between what Red Bull sees in the wind tunnel and on the track.
‘A Championship of 24 Races’
Verstappen sees things a bit less optimistically than his team boss, stating that he can no longer compete for the world title this season. However, Horner has not yet given up the title fight for his star driver. “It was a bad weekend for the team, nothing went our way. The start of the race and the pit stops did not work for us. But it’s a championship of 24 races. We are only eight points behind in the drivers’ championship. We know we need to improve quickly.” In the coming weeks, the team will primarily bring upgrades to handle the narrow operating window of the RB21.
