Horner dismisses Ferrari threat after 'classic Max' hands Red Bull 'energy boost'

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has dismissed the threat being posed by Ferrari for the United States Grand Prix after witnessing Max Verstappen deliver a "classic” performance.

Verstappen returned to winning ways for the first time in four months with a comprehensive lights-to-flag victory in the sprint at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

The three-time F1 champion was untroubled, although a radio message from McLaren to Lando Norris suggested the rear tyres on Verstappen's RB20 were falling away. That was not the case.

Norris had to settle for third after seeing the front tyres on his MCL38 degrade late on, leading to Carlos Sainz finishing runner-up after a lock-up from the Briton into Turn 1 on the final lap. Charles Leclerc was fourth for the Scuderia.

The Ferrari duo seemed strong, but the fact they were caught up in a duel for fourth position early on hampered their progress.

At this stage, they appear to represent Verstappen's biggest threat going into the grand prix.

As to any concerns over Ferrari going into the race, speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said: "They looked very competitive.

"They were pushing each other hard, and that usually takes quite a lot out of the tyre, particularly in the first sector, and they will be very strong in the race tomorrow.

"But I think what was encouraging for us, if you look at Max's last lap, he managed those tyres well. He still had quite a bit of performance left in them."

Verstappen had last stood on the top step of the podium in the Spanish Grand Prix in June, since when McLaren has made inroads and become the team to beat.

Despite upgrades on its MCL38, Red Bull has taken a step forward, allowing Verstappen to stretch his lead over Norris in the drivers' standings to 54 points, and cut McLaren's lead in the constructors' championship to 39.

Reflecting on Verstappen's win, Horner said: "An energy boost for the whole team because there's a huge amount of work going into these cars.

"To get that win, our first since June, is great. It just gives everybody a lift, and the performance of the car was very strong, and Max managed the race beautifully throughout."

Horner felt Verstappen returned to his controlled best over the 19 laps, conceding that he "was pretty quiet" during the race, and that it was "Max mainly doing his thing".

"He wanted a bit of information of, 'Where is Lando pushing harder than me?' from a management point of view.

"But his capacity to take all of that in and monitor his slip and how much he's lighting up the rear tyres and so on, is classic Max. He's so strong in that area, so a great performance from him."