Max Verstappen: Red Bull on issue that cost Silverstone pole: 'It's a Honda thing'

Max Verstappen

Red Bull on issue that cost Verstappen Silverstone pole: It's a Honda thing

He was down by just two tenths!

Matthew Scott

Wednesday 17 July 2019 13:57

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has explained the "lag" issue which Max Verstappen blamed on missing pole position for the British Grand Prix may be down to the team's recent improvements.

Verstappen secured a breakthrough victory in Austria for Red Bull, ending Mercedes' domination of the 2019 season.

Although Valtteri Bottas took pole and Lewis Hamilton then beat him to victory at Silverstone, Verstappen again delivered a fine performance and looked on course for a second-place finish until Sebastian Vettel crashed into him.

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Verstappen was also disappointed after qualifying fourth, two tenths off Bottas' pole lap, and his claim afterwards that pole position was on the cards has been backed up by Horner, who revealed details on the "lag" issue the Dutchman discussed.

"I think it was just the speed at which Max is applying the throttle," said Horner.

"It is something that hasn't been seen before. So it is type of thing that can be tidied up on the dyno.

"I believe it is a Honda thing, but they seem to be quite confident about it."

Honda have already begun to investigate the issue, with specific feedback from Verstappen, with the hope of fixing it by next weekend's German GP.

"It's not an issue that makes a failure," Toyoharu Tanabe said. "It's a different type of issue.

"Our understanding is, it's a big issue. You can die, or you don't die. And you don't die [with this issue]."

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