Horner on Verstappen after only five laps: 'He can solve this'

A dramatic test day for Max Verstappen in Miami. The first free practice was already full of problems and the second may or may not have been worse. Christian Horner feels the frustration.

Speaking to Sky Sports, the team boss is disappointed with today. The Brit explains what was going on in Red Bull's garage and why Verstappen's RB18 was not cooperating: "He's [Verstappen] had a horrible day. There was an issue this morning, as a precaution we changed the gearbox and one of the coolers. He drove out the pit lane and had a hydraulic issue which has caused some damage to the rear breaks. I think he's had five timed laps today."

Horner says Verstappen was still somewhat lucky that there were two red flags during practice, which still meant the Red Bull driver lost less time on track compared to his competitors. Horner: "I think he'll do more laps in FP3 than normal to get into the circuit. We know how good Max is at adapting to new venues so I'm sure he'll catch that time up."

Of course, the Briton also looked at Mercedes with an oblique eye. Suddenly, the silver arrows were there again. George Russell recorded the fastest time. Horner: "I've been saying since pre-season, it will only be a matter of time before they sort themselves out. That's starting to happen. The characteristics of this circuit helps as well but they're starting to get on top of their issues and they're looking competitive."