Max Verstappen, the Red Bull Racing driver, faced a possible victory loss in the Imola race due to a decrease in tire temperature. Despite overcoming balance issues early in the weekend and securing pole position, Verstappen’s lead was threatened by Lando Norris in the final stages of the race. Red Bull’s Formula 1 team boss, Christian Horner, explained that as tire degradation became a factor during the second stint, Verstappen struggled to maintain the necessary temperature in the rubber. This led to a decrease in performance compared to Norris, who managed to close the gap and challenge for the win.
Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, was heard warning Verstappen to avoid exceeding track limits, which also added complexity to the situation. Horner acknowledged this, stating: « I believe another factor that added stress in the final phase of the race was that Max had already received three warnings for exceeding track limits. Therefore, he could not make any more mistakes in that regard. However, he handled the pressure exceptionally well and managed to keep Lando out of the DRS zone. »
Horner believes that if Red Bull had tested the white wall tire compound during practice and gained knowledge about its behavior, it could have helped mitigate the problems they faced. When asked about Verstappen’s vulnerability if Norris needed one or two more laps, Horner replied: « Our vulnerability would have been related to fuel. So, in the end, it worked out for us. Looking back, maybe it would have been better to use the hard tires on Friday to gather information about their performance. However, considering the remarkable turnaround we had from Friday to Saturday, securing pole position and winning the race again today, it was an exceptional performance. Max was also exceptional this weekend, working hard to secure both pole position and the victory. »
