17:11 – Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen was in synchronization of eighth gear when he lost control of his RB16 on the way to the grid. Team boss Christian Horner has announced this.
Verstappen was working on a gearbox before crash, Horner reveals
Verstappen therefore had to give full throttle towards the twelfth corner, while the asphalt was wetter there than the eight-time Grand Prix winner expected. The front wheels of the Limburger blocked, on which the car slid against the tire stacks. The front wing broke off and the front suspension on the left was severely damaged. Verstappen was then able to send his car to the grid, where his mechanics barely managed to fix the car in time for the start of the race.
“I followed the outlap on a monitor and saw Max go wide at turns six and seven,” Horner describes the situation in a blog on the team’s website. “He was pushing to see where the grip was and then tried to synchronize eighth gear on the way to the twelfth corner, which means you have to go full throttle to get that synchronization. However, the track was smoother than he expected and the tires were quite cold. Nobody believed his eyes when he got off the track and ended up in the tire piles. “
“Fortunately, he kept his engine running and was able to drive the car backwards out of the tire stacks,” he continues. “We weren’t sure how big the damage was and had to quickly decide if we would call it to the pits, but chose to forward it to the grid to see if we could get the job done without having to put its grid position on So when the mechanics picked up Max’s RB16 from the back of the grid and pushed him over the starting grid, we had no idea if we could get the job done on time. “
Red Bull mechanics received applause from other teams
“We had seen on the screen that the tie rod and drive rod had broken off, but it was still a question mark if the wishbone and upright of the suspension had also been damaged. If that had been the case, it would have been ‘game over’ “said Horner, who then again emphasized that the mechanics on the Verstappen car have done a heroic deed. “The funny thing was that I wasn’t even stressed. Because if anyone is able to do this repair quickly, it’s our mechanics.”
“It was a race against time to replace the parts, which is a huge job because they are quite complex. You have to be able to play sensational piano to get into the places where you need to be with your fingers, these are so tight cars designed, “Horner continues. “But five minutes before we had to leave the grid, the chief mechanic gave me a wink to indicate that it looked good and with 25 seconds to go the wheels went on. The mechanics from the other teams gave the boys applauded as they went off the grid. This was an absolute paragon of teamwork. Everyone worked together in perfect harmony to get the job done. “
Verstappen then sent the race to a nice second place. “Max managed to get the incident out of his head, which is really a sign of adulthood,” said Horner, who is also pleased with Alexander Albon’s fifth-place finish in the Hungarian Grand Prix. “We know that Mercedes has a very strong package and that Racing Point also has a very fast car. That we beat the Racing Points – with Alex for Sergio Perez – and finished between the two Mercedes, we still have a lot of fun saved, after we initially seemed to be facing a very difficult weekend. “
Red Bull did not have the pace to challenge Mercedes in the first races, but according to Horner the RB16 is indeed a very good car. “We have some work to do to catch up with Mercedes, but that’s what the whole team is now focusing on. We need to address the issues we have, but I think the RB16 is basically a very good car. We we just have to make sure we get the full performance and solve the problems with controllability “, Horner concludes.
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