Red Bull for once this season faltered as they put Max Verstappen on medium tires in Saturday’s sprint race. While the decision looked good to start with as he overtook leader Kevin Magnussen, it soon turned into a nightmare as he finished P4. However, team principal Christian Horner revealed it could still work out well for the team.

Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in P1 started the race strongly and led the race for a couple of laps. However, the Dane could not resist the pressure from Max Verstappen for too long as he got overtaken. However, as the race progressed, the Dutchman was beaten by George Russell, Carlos Sainz, and Lewis Hamilton, who were all on soft compound tires.

Helmut Marko explains why they put Max Verstappen on medium tires

Helmut Marko talked about how he felt the medium compound was the right tire to go with. However, the red tires on the rival cars were naturally faster, and it ended up costing Max. He said the result wouldn’t have differed had he started out on soft tires.

Christian Horner speaking with Sky F1 said, “I think the soft tire would’ve been a better tire for us today but the advantage is that we take that extra set into Sunday’s race.”

On the decision to put Max on medium tires, Horner explained, “We took the decision to start on the mediums. If they could survive the first 12 laps, the second half of the race would become a bit more comfortable.”

Red Bull fans think the decision to save an extra set of soft tires could well pay off on Sunday.

One user thought the decision to start Max on mediums was strange but remained hopeful, as an extra pair of soft slicks could help on Sunday.

F1 podcaster Tommo too thinks the race could get interesting as Max can never be ruled out of any race.

One fan thought if Red Bull could pull this off, team strategist Hannah Schmitz should get a raise.

One fan was confident of a Red Bull win

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Another Hannah fan hailed her decision.

Verstappen in P4 could certainly make things interesting for race day. While Mercedes drivers have shown pace, starting in P4 could pose an added challenge for Verstappen.

Helmut Marko opens up on Red Bull’s tire choice

Some fans may feel saving an extra pair of soft compound tires was a masterstroke, but team adviser Helmut Marko did not think it was a strategically correct decision.

Speaking with Sky Sports Germany, he said, “The mediums didn’t work, it was the wrong choice. But our weakness was in the middle sector. We lost almost a second there sometimes and we were just not fast enough.”

“We can’t change much. Mercedes was strong, we have to acknowledge that without envy, and now we are going to see what we can do for tomorrow”

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Whether the strategy was a masterstroke or whether it was a rare Red Bull “L”, we will find out. But it is surely going to be a thrilling race.