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Max Verstappen’s second place finish was the best possible result Red Bull Racing could hope for at the Russian GP. Team boss Christian Horner is convinced of this. He has a lot of praise for the podium striker.
Christian Horner could be satisfied after the 10th Formula 1 race of the season in Sochi. Because his golden boy, Max Verstappen, who will celebrate his 23rd birthday next week, reached the finish line before Lewis Hamilton. The victory went to his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. But the Dutchman could wait for the unexpected second place.
He did this thanks to the two 5-second penalties Lewis Hamilton received for his initial practice before the race. Team boss Christian Horner knows this too, and yet he’s full of praise for the nine-time GP winner who showed flawless driving. He explained: “That was definitely the best possible result today, because Mercedes had the car faster than us this weekend.”
“Of course we benefited from Lewis Hamilton’s punishment, but Max was also able to get everything out of the car for the whole weekend. This is our best result in Sochi so far in the six years we’ve been here. That’s why I’m very satisfied with Max’s performance, ”the 46-year-old summed up.
“We know he’s running at a very high level and we know Lewis is doing the same. And I think his qualifying lap was just great. Nor did he make a single mistake in the race, it was a mature and well thought out ride, ”the Briton enthused.
Russian GP, Sochi
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Mercedes, 1:34:07,868 h
2. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, +7.729 seconds
3. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +22,729
4. Sergio Pérez (MEX), Racing Point, +30,558
5. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), Renault, +47,065
6. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, +1: 02.186 min
7. Esteban Ocon (F), Renault, +1: 08.006
8. Daniil Kvyat (RUS), AlphaTauri, +1: 08,740
9. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, +1: 29,669
10. Alex Albon (T), Red Bull Racing, +1: 32,995
11. Antonio Giovinazzi (I), Alfa Romeo, +1 round
12. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +1 round
13. Sebastian Vettel (R), Ferrari, +1 rounds
14. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +1 round
15. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +1 Runde
16. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, +1 Runde
17. Romain Grosjean (F), Haas, +1 Runde
18. George Russell (GB), Williams, +1 Runde
Outside
Lance Stroll (CDN), racing point, crash
Carlos Sainz (E), McLaren, Crash
Drivers from the World Championship stand after 10 out of 17 races
1. Hamilton 205 points
2. Bottas 161
3. Verstappen 128
4. Norris 65
5. Albon 64
6. Ricciardo 63
7. Leclerc 57
8. Walk 57
9. Pérez 56
10. Gasly 45
11. Sainz 41
12. Ocon 36
13. Vettel 17
14. Kvyat 14
15. Nico Hülkenberg (D) 6
16. Raikkonen 2
17. Giovinazzi 2
18. Magnussen 1
19. Latifi 0
20. Russell 0
21. Grosjean 0
Trademarks
1. Mercedes 366
2. Red Bull Racing 192
3. McLaren 106
4. Racing Point 104
5. Renault 99
6. Ferrari 74
7. AlphaTauri 59
8. Alfa Romeo 4
9. Haas 1
10. Williams 0
