Red Bull Team principal Christian Horner has admitted to being surprised by the pace of the RB20 F1 car in the Sao Paulo sprint race, given the car’s recent performance challenges that have seen McLaren and Ferrari to stand out in the constructors’ championship. Team leader is renewed with optimism after witnessing Max Verstappen cross the finish line just behind the dominant McLarens.

Both Red Bull drivers, Verstappen and Sergio Perez, have faced balance issues on their RB20, leading to a considerable decline in their dominant form this season. The Dutch Grand Prix saw McLaren’s Lando Norris cross the line with a lead of more than 20 seconds over the Dutchman, indicating the revised performance of the Papaya car and a drop in speed from Red Bull.

Adding to Red Bull’s challenges, Verstappen received a five-second penalty for a virtual safety car infraction during the sprint race in Brazil, dropping him from third to fourth place and allowing the race winner Norris to gain an additional point in the drivers’ standings.

Despite this setback, the race highlighted Red Bull’s renewed competitiveness, as Verstappen managed to overtake the Ferrari SF-24 driven by Charles Leclerc. This feat had eluded the team in the previous two Grands Prix, where Ferrari took victory. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, as quoted by Racingnews365.comHorner said:

“He (Verstappen) came back from this race quite motivated and if he had managed to overtake Charles (Leclerc) earlier, he thinks he could have tried his luck with the McLarens.

“He was very motivated by that. I think the whole team was happy to see that. There were a lot of positives to take from that short sprint race.”

Horner revealed his team were pleasantly surprised by the way Verstappen’s RB20 preserved its tires, matching the performance of the McLarens and allowing the three-time world champion to stay close behind them. He added:

“We were quite surprised, because the pace… McLaren always seems so good with its tires that it seems very strong in the race.

“But in this race they look like ours, from everything we’ve seen with the tires.

“It was in exactly the same state as Max’s, and indeed, Max was able to remain in that state for a very long time.”

In addition to the five-second penalty in the sprint race, Verstappen was handed a one-point penalty, bringing his total to seven points on his super license. He also received an additional five-second penalty for Sunday’s Grand Prix due to exceeding the limit of four internal combustion engines, despite using his sixth engine of the 2024 season.