Red Bull forced into major 'risk' after Max Verstappen high-speed spin

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has stated the team was forced to take a “risk” with its strategy following Max Verstappen’s dramatic opening-lap spin.

Verstappen started the race from the front row but was overtaken by Charles Leclerc at the opening corner, who swept into the lead.

As they approached the second turn, Verstappen was squeezed to the inside and spun at high speed, dropping down the order.

A handful of laps later, a safety car was deployed after team-mate Isack Hadjar hit the wall and Liam Lawson became involved in an incident with Pierre Gasly.

Red Bull opted to pit Verstappen at that point, after which he ran to the end of the race on a set of hard tyres.

“We had not planned to take such an early window,” Mekies told media including RacingNews365.

“We did that in reaction to what happened on lap one and being out of position with what happened on lap one.

“We took that risk in order to get the chance to be back in stronger positions.

“It was a big ask to stay out for 47 laps on the hard tyres. And yes, ultimately, we have been missing a few laps to make it something stronger.”

Verstappen ended the race in fifth place, despite picking up a five-second time penalty for crossing the pit lane exit.

While it was far from a comfortable outing for Red Bull, Mekies breathed a sigh of relief over conditions remaining dry after heavy rainfall was forecast.

“It’s part of the game,” he said. “I think we had to take some risk after lap one. That's what we did.

“There have been a few times in the race where the rain was actually quite close, and it's something that could have been a bit trickier.”