Red Bull team principal Christian Horner opened up about Max Verstappen’s potential race ban, their expectations for the F1 Austrian GP, and reviving championship hopes against McLaren following the Dutchman’s second-place finish in Montreal.
Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty and picked up 3 penalty points in Barcelona after a collision with George Russell’s Mercedes in the closing stages of the race.
The aforementioned sanction has moved the reigning world champion to 11 penalty points—one away from an automatic one-race ban under current F1 regulations. Drivers accumulate these points for infractions across a rolling 12-month period, and none are set to expire for Verstappen until the end of June.
Red Bull looking forward to Austria despite Verstappen’s race ban threat
Speaking in a print media session after the F1 Canadian GP, Christian Horner shared his thoughts on whether Red Bull have breathed a sigh of relief with Verstappen avoiding getting banned for the team’s home race in Austria.
Stating how imperative it is for the Dutchman to keep his nose clean this race weekend with the threat of a ban looming over him, the 51-year-old also noted how excited the team is to hit the track at the Red Bull Ring.
“So, look, we’re looking forward to racing at the Red Bull Ring. It’s always a great event, big track.
“We obviously need to make sure we get through that weekend. And then, I think, following that race, the first of the [penalty] points start to drop off.
“As I said, it’s an important event. It’s always a popular event. It’ll be great to be back in Austria, especially with Max [Verstappen], who has so many fans there.”
Horner not too confident about performance at Red Bull Ring
Despite introducing no upgrades, Red Bull and Verstappen managed to string a competitive weekend together in Montreal following the controversial yet disappointing P10 finish in Barcelona. After setting the second-fastest time in qualifying, the 27-year-old brought home 18 crucial points as the eventful Canadian GP ended under the Safety Car.
Asked if coming off the back of a podium finish in Montreal has boosted his optimism about their performance at the F1 Austrian GP, Christian Horner didn’t appear too hopeful about their prospects.
Highlighting the RB21’s current weakness in medium-speed corners and the configuration of the Red Bull Ring, the Brit ultimately predicted McLaren dominance if track temperatures remain on the warmer side.
“I think Austria, probably our weakness at the moment, is in the medium speed type of corner. And I think that Austria, that middle sector, there’s a bit of medium speed there. So, you know, we’ll see.
“I would expect, if it’s hot, McLaren to, again, be stronger.”
Red Bull unwilling to give up on the championship yet
In terms of where they stand in the fight against McLaren, Christian Horner responded that Red Bull aren’t willing to concede despite the massive deficit to the championship leaders in the standings.
Emphasising how the 2025 F1 season has yet to reach the halfway mark, Horner remarked that Red Bull can still claw back some of the advantage McLaren currently have and challenge them by extracting the maximum potential from the car in the remaining race weekends.
“I mean, there’s still a significant points gap between us and them [McLaren]. But, you know, we don’t give up on anything.
“You know, we’re not even at the halfway point yet. So, you know, there’s a lot of racing, a lot of Sprint races coming up. And if we can keep chipping away and getting performance on the car, then nobody gives up on anything.”
