Horner after win at Imola: 'A thoroughly deserved victory'

Published on 18 April 2021 by Julien Lemmen

Max Verstappen took his first win of the season at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after a strong drive in difficult conditions.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner reflects after the race at Imola: “It is fantastic for us to get the victory here today, particularly after losing such a close race in Bahrain. Max drove impeccably all afternoon with no mistakes and the Team made some perfectly timed pit stop calls, making this a thoroughly deserved victory and an important one for us. Max was pumped up for the race, with a great start giving him momentum down into Turn 1 where we saw two tough drivers pushing to the limit for track position which is what everyone wants to see. Lewis was still very quick today which could be seen particularly towards the end of the race when they seemed to have very low tyre degradation. I think they maybe had a quicker car than us today but it's great to get that first victory of the season under our belts.”

“It was a real shame for Sergio after such a brilliant day yesterday and nothing went his way which is frustrating for him, but he's becoming more and more comfortable with the car and you can guarantee that he will come back strong. Now we need to build on this momentum for the remainder of the season and we are going to have to go some way to keep Mercedes under pressure."