Christian Horner on Sergio Perez losing his podium due to penalty

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez was unlucky to be stripped of a podium, while team-mate Max Verstappen won.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner took to Instagram to reflect on an unforgettable Grand Prix, which saw more overtakes than any race in the history of Formula 1.

Despite all the overtakes at Zandvoort, it was still Max Verstappen who came out on top.

The reigning World Champion just about managed to convert pole position into a ninth consecutive victory, matching Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2013.

Verstappen now has the chance to eclipse the German at the Italian Grand Prix this weekend and claim another record.

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His win at home was his 11th of the season overall, and Red Bull’s 14th in a row.

The Austrians continue to break records this season, with Horner admitting how “very very special” it is to the team for Verstappen to have matched their former driver.

“We had everything thrown at us today but that’s a 9th straight victory for @maxverstappen1 and a 14th for the Team! An incredible achievement,” Horner wrote on Instagram.

“To match Seb’s record of successive wins and to achieve that now, twice as a team is very very special to us. He really had to work for it, but in changeable conditions and in front of an expectant crowd he kept cool and delivered once again.”

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Whilst Horner was delighted for Verstappen, he was disappointed for Sergio Perez, who finished fourth.

Perez remarkably led early on after immediately pitting for Intermediates but fell to fourth when the track dried after Verstappen performed an undercut.

The Mexican then dropped to third after crashing at Turn 1, before being slapped with a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit-lane.

This time penalty dropped him from third to fourth, with Horner feeling like the 33-year-old “deserved” a podium.

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“@schecoperez also deserved to be on the podium today,” Horner added.

“He made a great first call to get on the inters and made great gains, but was then desperately unlucky to get the 5 second penalty as it looks like he did it coming in at the red flag after damage.

“It’s the perfect way for us to return from the summer break and keep that momentum going.”