Red Bull boss Horner pokes fun at Renault after double DNF

Christian Horner could not resist aiming a dig at former suppliers Renault after both of the French marque's cars ground to a halt within seconds of each other at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The safety car prompted by the double DNF effectively ended Max Verstappen's podium hopes for Red Bull.

Horner criticising Renault had become a familiar thread through many races in the V6 Hybrid era.

However, having swapped Renault for Honda in 2019, he could look on more jovially as Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo's cars failed four laps from the end.

"Renault blowing up unfortunately didn't help us see the podium," he laughed. "It's ironic, isn't it? Whether they're in the car or out of the car!"

LAP 55/57: Now it's agony in the Renault garage as both Ricciardo AND Hulkenberg suffer engine faults on the same lap #BahrainGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/8GL7oToa9c

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 31, 2019

Horner's jibes will likely do Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul's mood no favours as the Enstone squad search for answers having seen just one car finish across the opening two races.

"After a very intense winter, it's been a very bad start to our racing season," he said.

"Similar to Melbourne, our qualifying in Bahrain was massively compromised by minor electronics issues, which impacted both cars. Our race today came to a sudden stop so close to the finish.

"These are issues we have previously encountered but something we were unable to rectify in Bahrain. These problems are increasingly frustrating and unacceptable as both cars have shown very good competitiveness both over one-lap and race runs.

"Nico delivered another outstanding drive from seventeenth to sixth. Daniel is building on precious experience in the car, and despite good race pace, his strategy gamble didn't work out.

"We must react and shift our focus on reliability."

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