Christian Horner admitted the result of the Bahrain Grand Prix was disappointing for Oracle Red Bull Racing after the team saw both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez retire in the final few laps whilst on course for big points.
Verstappen was embroiled in a near-race long battle for the lead with eventual race winner Charles Leclerc, but a fuel problem forced him to retire with just three laps remaining, leaving him pointless in his first race as defending World Champion.
Pérez dropped a couple of positions at the start but was able to regain fourth after repassing both Kevin Magnussen and Lewis Hamilton, and the Mexican was keeping Carlos Sainz Jr. honest in the battle for the final spot on the podium. It looked as though he would inherit third thanks to his team-mate’s retirement, but he too was forced out with a technical issue, his engine cutting out as he went around turn one on the final lap, pitching him into a spin.
Horner, the Team Principal at Red Bull, says the team will look deeply into the issues that cost the team a potential thirty points in the Constructors’ Championship and allowed Scuderia Ferrari a one-two finish at the Bahrain International Circuit.
“Obviously we are hugely disappointed to lose the chance of podium finishes today, but congratulations to Ferrari on their one, two finish and a return to the front,” said Horner.
“We will need to conduct a full investigation into what happened, but it looks suspiciously like the failures are related to each other and it may be an issue with the fuel system.”
Whereas disappointed with the result, Horner says there were still positives to take from Bahrain, with Red Bull looking competitive and fighting for the win, even if Scuderia Ferrari had a small edge on them on Sunday.
“The positive side for us is that we clearly have a competitive car, I don’t think we quite had the pace today, but there was some great racing between Max and Charles,” he said.
“It’s an incredibly long season with 22 races remaining, so we need to get on top of whatever this issue was today and come back stronger next weekend.”