Horner proud of Verstappen: "He held on to that until the end"

In a Red Bull Racing press release, team principal Christian Horner stated that he was very pleased with Verstappen's result, especially at a track that has been dominated by Mercedes in recent years. "We broke the series of nine pole positions in a row by Mercedes," says the 47-year-old Briton, who goes on to state that it was vital that Verstappen kept Hamilton behind him on the straight. "That's what he did, and he held on to it until the end."

Pleasure and disappointment at Red Bull

He is less happy with the result of Pérez, who spun at high speed and will therefore have to start from the back. "It's a shame we don't have Checo up there as well," he admits. Pérez's Red Bull will be tuned to make it easier to overtake, resulting in him having to start from the pit lane.

Horner does not expect a repeat of the sprint race on Sunday, partly due to the rising temperature, which could even hit 30 degrees on Sunday. "The Grand Prix will not be a repeat in terms of tyre wear. The higher fuel load at the start provides lower speeds in the corners, which makes it easier for the tyres in the early stages of the race. It will be interesting to see how that will affect things," said the Red Bull team boss.