Max Verstappen, starting from pole, looked set to clinch a hard-fought win but had to settle for second place behind McLaren\u2019s Oscar Piastri. A five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on the opening lap ultimately proved costly for the reigning champion, who still managed to finish just 2.8 seconds behind the race winner.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Horner, however, chose to look at the bigger picture. \u201cLet\u2019s focus on the positives. We finished second and had the pace \u2013 which on Friday, it looked like McLaren had a 1.2s advantage on the field. This is the most competitive we\u2019ve been in a race all season.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Jeddah circuit brought Red Bull back to life. While Verstappen lost track position mid-race, he closed in on Piastri during the final laps, showcasing pace and tyre management even after an intense early stint. Horner acknowledged that the team had unlocked significant speed in both medium and hard compounds by Sunday. \u201cI think the engineering team did a great job in turning the car around. The pace was encouraging.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
This result was critical for Verstappen, who remains well within striking distance in the Drivers' Championship\u2014just 12 points behind Piastri and two behind Lando Norris.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The challenge now is consistency. After mixed performances in Bahrain and China but strong showings in Japan and Saudi Arabia, Red Bull are still searching for a full understanding of the RB21's track-specific traits. \u201cBahrain was an outlier. We were out of a window, and we\u2019re working hard to fix that,\u201d Horner added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
This result was critical for Verstappen, who remains well within striking distance in the Drivers' Championship\u2014just 12 points behind Piastri and two behind Lando Norris.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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