P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner has explained how a drop in tyre temperature was behind the pace loss that almost cost Max Verstappen the win at Imola. Verstappen had overcome balance issues earlier in the weekend to bag pole position and looked on course to dominate as he opened up an eight-second advantage. […]
Max Verstappen had to overcome balance issues during the weekend but managed to secure pole position and initially built an eight-second lead. However, he faced strong competition from Lando Norris towards the end of the race, who finished just seven-tenths of a second behind the Red Bull driver. Christian Horner revealed that tire degradation affected Verstappen’s performance in the second stint on the Hard compound as he struggled to maintain tire temperature. Despite the challenges, Verstappen’s performance was commendable, especially during the first stint on the Medium compound where he controlled the race well. Verstappen’s race engineer advised him to avoid track limit breaches, adding to the pressure in the closing stages. In hindsight, Horner suggested that getting more experience with the Hard tires during practice would have helped Red Bull mitigate the issues they faced during the race. Overall, Horner praised Verstappen for his outstanding performance throughout the weekend, securing pole position and ultimately the victory despite the intense competition.
