Christian Horner: “The absolute epitome of teamwork”

“It’s funny, but I wasn’t stressed”. And yet Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull Racing, experienced an intense, unexpected time trial race on Sunday, during the Hungarian Grand Prix. In the grid lap, his driver Max Verstappen lost control of his car on intermediate tires and finished in the barriers.

“He was attacking to find where the grip was good and trying to synchronize eighth gear until turn 12, which meant he had to go flat out, indicates the British official. The circuit was more slippery than he expected, and the tires were quite cold.”

At the time, Christian Horner was still stunned. “I was watching the exit lap on the screen and I saw Max coming out. We couldn't believe our eyes. » Immediately, doubt arose about the possibility of repairs.

“We didn't know how serious the damage was and we had to decide quickly whether to call him back to the pits. But we decided to send him to the grid to see if we could repair it without him losing places. But we had no idea of ​​the probability of success in time. It was unclear if the suspension arm had broken. If that were the case, the game would have been over. »

Finally, repair was possible. And the race against time began to change the parts. “You need to be a sensational piano player to be able to work your fingers in the space available, because the design of these cars is so narrow. About five minutes before the limit, the chief mechanic winked at me that everything was good and the car was on its wheels 25 seconds before the bell. »

The main team is full of compliments for the work of its men. " It was the absolute epitome of teamwork, a phenomenal performance. There was excitement in the garage and then, of course, they had to calm down because it's the same mechanics who make the pit stops. »

They are not sleeves in this exercise. Less than two seconds for a stop in Hungary, the best of the race. Max Verstappen finally finished second. Nothing to stress about.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Hungarian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondent in Budapest, in AUTO issue 2271hebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands.