DRS fault caused Verstappen's Spanish GP Q3 slowdown
Red Bull Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner says a DRS problem caused Max Verstappen to abort his final Spanish Grand Prix Q3 run, but doesn't believe he would have been able to beat polesitter Charles Leclerc.
After Leclerc spun out in the chicane on his first timed lap in Q3, the Ferrari driver dug deep to deliver a stunning second lap to demote Verstappen to second.
Verstappen saw his chance to retaliate evaporate when he reported a loss of power in sector one, but according to team principal Horner a DRS problem was the cause of the Dutchman's loss of speed.
"It wasn't actually power. In the end, it was a DRS that didn't open," Horner explained to Sky Sports. "So obviously we need to get the car back to understand what's caused [it], because it opened on the back straight just as a check as it came back into the pits."
While Leclerc and Verstappen had looked evenly matched until Red Bull's issue robbed fans of a fair showdown, Horner doesn't think his driver would have had enough to beat Ferrari's championship leader on his final lap.
"I don't think we had enough today to beat that lap of Charles. A great lap by him under pressure at the end there. But yeah, I'm still pleased with the front row start," he said, acknowledging that Ferrari's raft of upgrades for Barcelona had given it an advantage.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Verstappen's DRS problem is not the first gremlin to have struck Red Bull this season, but Horner doesn't feel there is cause for alarm.
"You know, these things are tending to happen," he added. "We saw Ferrari change the chassis last night because of a fuel system issue.
"Unfortunately, it's hit us at inconvenient times, the last time you want it is on the last run in Q3. But as a team we work hard, we are trying to understand what the issue is. It may be as simple as a piece of rubber's got stuck in the mechanism.
"It was unfortunate not to have the right to reply there because I don't think we'd have beaten Charles today, but I think we would have been closer than the times suggest."
Related video
Leclerc: Ferrari still needs to get on top of tyres despite Spanish GP pole
Sainz: Leclerc can cope with "snappier" Ferrari F1 car more easily
The pioneering pair who brought a new glory era to an F1 heavyweight
With the team’s founder now retired and a new boss at the helm, change was coming to Brabham – change that would shape the future of Formula 1. In the third part of our four-part history of Brabham, DAMIEN SMITH examines the effect Bernie Ecclestone had on the team
The combination behind the Silverstone racing battles Hamilton called "F1 at its best"
OPINION: The late battling in the British Grand Prix wowed Formula 1 fans and surely represents the best racing action of the season so far. And there was a cocktail of factors that created the action, from which Carlos Sainz emerged as a popular new winner
How Ferrari’s Monaco headache became its Silverstone migraine
OPINION: Ferrari won the British Grand Prix with Carlos Sainz, but it ultimately cost Charles Leclerc a chance to make a bigger dent in Max Verstappen's title lead by leaving the Monegasque out on old tyres towards the end. Like Monaco, indecision over strategy proved to be the Scuderia's biggest issue - and if the team doesn't reflect, the headache can only intensify
The five factors behind Sainz winning a British GP he’d twice lost
Formula 1 has a newest race winner, in a grand prix the victor appeared to have lost twice, only to charge back to headline a sensational and dramatic British Grand Prix. From a massive start crash to a late sprint finish, here’s how five factors saw Carlos Sainz take his maiden grand prix win
Why there was no case to answer in Aston’s latest F1 copycat saga
The appearance of a revised Aston Martin in Spain caused controversy but PAT SYMONDS explains why the FIA investigation found the Silverstone team had no case to answer
Why it's Red Bull that really leads a three-way fight so far at Silverstone
After a slow start to Friday at Silverstone, all the Formula 1 teams had to effectively cram in a day’s worth of practice into one hour. But there was still plenty to learn and while Ferrari topped the times, a three-way battle is brewing ahead of the British Grand Prix
Why the future is bright for the British GP
It wasn’t so long ago the situation looked bleak at Silverstone with the future of the British Grand Prix under threat. But a transformation has seen it restored to one of the most important races on the Formula 1 calendar, with bigger and better to come
Could mixed fortunes for F1's leading Brits turn around at Silverstone?
For the first time in many years, none of the local racers starts among the favourites for the British Grand Prix. But George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris could have reasons for optimism