Horner Says Russell Motivated Verstappen
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said the incident involving George Russell in qualifying gave Max Verstappen the motivation he needed to win the Qatar Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Q3 at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. However, he was stripped of his pole position for obstructing George Russell at low speeds during qualifying. Both drivers were summoned to the race stewards, where the discussion was said to be heated.
According to Verstappen, Russell was aggressive in his discussions with the stewards. However, the stewards agreed with Russell’s claims and penalized Verstappen with a one-grid demotion. This decision drastically changed the front row of the starting grid, pushing Russell to pole position and Verstappen to second on the grid.
Immediately after the start, Verstappen took off from the inside of the first corner and took the lead in the race. Meanwhile, Russell was also overtaken by Lando Norris, dropping him back to third place. Verstappen then took control of the race and won for the ninth time in 2024.
For Horner, the incident in this qualifying session was a trigger, revealing his driver’s unwavering determination to win, even in high pressure moments.
‘Yeah, he was frustrated with George [Russell]. He brought the circumstances of yesterday’s incident and his motives into the race,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.
And it was clear that he was quite highly motivated for this race. He got a great start. He was in all phases of the start, first, second, and third gear, and was the only car that could make it out of turn one in the lead.”
Horner concluded, “Max [Verstappen] felt that yesterday’s events had gone a little too far, and he had a stronger motivation for this race than usual.”
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