Christian Horner has admitted that Red Bull "need to understand" why they fell behind Ferrari as the Austrian Grand Prix weekend developed. Max Verstappen started the event on top by claiming pole position and winning the 23-lap Sprint, but lost out Charles Leclerc in the 71-lap main event. Verstappen looked set to finish the race third, behind both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, but was gifted second when the Spaniard suffered a late engine failure. It came after Red Bull encountered greater tyre degradation than Ferrari, with the Dutchman describing his car as "unpredictable".
Horner surprised by Red Bull's tyre degradation
Horner hailed Verstappen's second-place finish as "very important points" but lamented Ferrari holding the upper hand in race trim. "Ferrari, congratulations to them today, they had a quicker car through the majority of the race," Horner told Sky Sports F1 . "Max was coming back at the end, but our tyre degradation was higher from halfway through the first stint and it was hard to combat that." Asked if this was something Red Bull experienced in the Sprint, Horner said: "Nowhere near what we saw today. "Ferrari just seemed lighter on the tyres. Obviously they had a pace advantage and then that gives you more strategic options."
Horner left searching for answers after Ferrari victory
Horner added that Red Bull must now dive into the data and learn whatever they can ahead of the next round of the season in France. "Our pace at the end of the race... we still got the fastest lap," Horner pointed out. "But we didn't have the range that we had yesterday, and that's something we obviously need to understand. "Over those two races we've only given away five points with Max, so it's not too bad." Verstappen now holds a 38-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers' standings, while Red Bull are 56 points clear of Ferrari in the Constructors' battle.
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