Team boss Christian Horner logically has a bad feeling about the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna. Red Bull Racing ended the race in Imola on Sunday due to a withdrawal by Max Verstappen and a spin by Alexander Albon without points.
“Alex already had a very difficult afternoon because he was fighting with Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo all the time. It is extremely frustrating for him and for the team that he also has zero points from this race,” said a disappointed Horner according to Motorsport.com.
For 24-year-old Albon, who spun in the final phase when the race was restarted after a safety car situation and eventually finished in 15th place, it is another downer in a disappointing period. The Thai Briton has been underperforming for some time and seems to be slowly but surely losing his seat at Red Bull, so that every result now matters.
His winless result in Imola will further increase the pressure on Albon in the remaining four races of the season. “We are now going to focus on the Grand Prix of Turkey with Alex. Hopefully we can ‘reset’ him and bring back the enthusiasm.”
‘Races in Italy are not good for Verstappen’
For Verstappen, the Grand Prix in Imola was already over twelve laps before the end. The Dutchman ended up in the gravel pit when his right tire collapsed, causing him to see a certain-looking second place disappear in smoke and also fail to reach the finish in the third race in Italy.
“Max drove away from Valtteri Bottas and seemed to be heading for second place until his tire broke down,” Horner said. “Possibly that was the result of debris on the track. It’s very frustrating that second place was suddenly gone, especially because the pace was good. The three races in Italy were not very good for Max.”
Red Bull, which saw the manufacturer’s title go to Mercedes partly due to the victory of Lewis Hamilton, is now preparing for the Grand Prix of Turkey (15 November). Then there are two more races in Bahrain and one in Abu Dhabi on the program.
– .
