Red Bull's Christian Horner pays tribute to Max Verstappen's mind-blowing overtake on Oscar Piastri in the F1 Imola GP

Red Bull Racing CEO Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen’s decisive move on Oscar Piastri at the start was key to securing victory at the 2025 Imola GP on Sunday. Speaking to Sky Sports, Horner praised the Dutchman’s race craft and ability to execute under pressure.

Verstappen’s overtake on Piastri in the opening corners gave him the lead on the first lap. From there, he controlled the race despite a Virtual Safety Car and a full Safety Car interruption. The win marked his first since the Japanese Grand Prix earlier in the season.

Horner credited Verstappen’s instinctive and calculated approach, noting that such moments of decisiveness are where he separates himself from the rest. He also acknowledged Piastri’s fair racing, which allowed for a clean battle and ultimately helped Verstappen take command early on.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race in Imola, Horner said:

"That first corner was in it or bin it. Oscar was fair and gave him space but Max was coming from a way back and he just commits to the corner. That was the last they saw of him. Incredibly decisive. He's just so good in those situations. Oscar is trying to defend a championship lead and Max saw a gap and went for it. That's the instinctive racer we see week in and week out.”

Verstappen clinched 25 points to close the gap to Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the Drivers' championship standing but McLaren extended their lead in the Constructors' table with a double podium in Imole.

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Red Bull boss was surprised by McLaren’s lack of pace at the Imola GP

Christian Horner admitted he was surprised by McLaren’s pace during the 2025 Imola Grand Prix. While impressed by their speed, he felt Red Bull had managed to find a better operating window with the RB21 over the weekend, particularly in terms of car balance. The Dutchman finished 6.105 seconds ahead of Lando Norris and was running almost 10 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri before the safety car.

He noted that Max Verstappen was more satisfied with the setup, which allowed him to extract more performance and consistency throughout the race. According to Horner, the Dutchman’s ability to optimise the package made the difference in securing the win. The Red Bull Racing team principal also highlighted that while McLaren remained a serious threat, Red Bull’s improvements in balance and execution helped them stay ahead in Imola.

Speaking to onsite media after the race in Imola, Horner explained:

"We were sort of more surprised about McLaren's probably lack of performance. We definitely got the car into a very good window yesterday. Max was certainly very positive about the balance and being able to lean on the rear of the car. So that was certainly a positive and then that carried through it and he certainly felt taking that into the race would just [put the car] in a better balance window. So that proved to be the case.”

Red Bull currently sit third in the constructors’ standings with 131 points, trailing Mercedes by 16 points and leaders McLaren by 148. While the team continues to work on performance gains, the gap to McLaren highlights their dominance so far this season. In the drivers’ championship, Max Verstappen holds third place with 124 points, just nine behind Lando Norris and 22 off leader Oscar Piastri. Despite Red Bull’s overall struggles, Verstappen remains firmly in the title fight.

Although McLaren has pulled away in the team battle, the drivers’ championship remains tightly contested between Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen. The close margins suggest a competitive title race is still very much alive.