Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has hailed Max Verstappen’s ability to manage his tyres on route to winning the Austrian Grand Prix.
Mercedes’ decision not to pit Lewis Hamilton under the Virtual Safety Car allowed Verstappen to take the lead of the race. The Dutchman managed the race from there on and fended off the two charging Ferraris in the closing laps to secure Red Bull’s first win on home soil.
Due to the significantly hotter track temperatures, blistering became a problem for the majority of the drivers, even forcing Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo to make a second stop.
“He was very much in control,” Horner said. “It was a very disciplined and mature drive. He had a very good feeling for how to manage the tires, the slip, the control, so it was a really impressive job.
“Max has got a great ability to do that. He did it in his first win in Barcelona. He knew that the race was all about tyre conservation, because temperatures were hotter today, probably 10-12 degrees hotter than Friday.”
The Dutchman endured a torrid start to the season littered with errors and mistakes. Since the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen has finished on the podium four times in the last five races and now sits fifth in the championship, 53 points behind leader Vettel.
“I think Max obviously has had a tough first third of the year, and I think all credit to him, he’s kept his head and he’s put in three very impressive drives,” Horner added. “He tends to be looking forward not backwards. When you look at the tables you look at the what ifs, and it could’ve been a lot closer than it is but there’s still twelve races to go.”