Christian Horner & Max Verstappen

Credits- IMAGO / DeFodi

With the gap between McLaren and Red Bull in the Constructors’ championship down to just eight points, Max Verstappen is desperate to help his team get its mojo back. Christian Horner, in a recent interview, shed light on the work Verstappen has been putting in.

“What’s really impressed me with Max is how he’s really engaged in this process,” Horner said to GP Blog. “He’s not panicking. He’s working with the engineers.”

Horner also revealed that Verstappen attended several meetings with his engineers before the Italian GP, trying to find a solution to Red Bull’s balance issues. Although they didn’t find a fix, Verstappen has not given up and plans to work on the simulator before the Azerbaijan GP.

“He’s explaining very clearly where the issues are. He’s putting the time and effort in,” Horner added. “…really working hard at this.” 

Verstappen is already known for being ‘hands-on’ with his approach. But with both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ titles under threat, he has decided to get himself more involved.

The Dutchman has been more critical of Red Bull this season than ever before. He has publicly complained about the car’s balance and even called for the team to rebuild the RB20 from scratch before Baku. Team Principal Horner, who has taken note of these concerns, addressed the issue after the Italian GP.

Horner on Red Bull’s balance issue 

Horner explained how poor balance had been a problem with the RB20 since the start of the season. In the initial stages, things weren’t so bad and Verstappen was able to compete for wins. However, when the RB20 was upgraded, their floor was pushed to the limit. The issues got more apparent, and the overall performance got worse.

At the same time, McLaren, improved drastically by bringing seven major upgrades to Miami — turning them into a front-runner. Gradually, the Woking-based team became the fastest, with Mercedes and Ferrari also making huge strides, to start competing for wins.

Verstappen and Co. meanwhile, saw their problems get worse with time.

“We haven’t got a connection between front and rear,” Horner said. “I think Max can’t lean on the rear on the way into the corner, or Checo, and I think you then end up compensating for that.” 

Horner suggested that Red Bull would be working on introducing some fixes before Azerbaijan. However, resolving the whole issue won’t be likely.