Formula 1 Italian GP

Red Bull: Slow Monza F1 pitstop resulted from FIA clampdown

Red Bull Formula 1 chief Christian Horner has revealed the human error that caused Max Verstappen’s slow pitstop at Monza resulted from the FIA’s clampdown introduced at Spa.

Luke Smith

Edited: Sep 21, 2021, 10:07 AM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, in the pits

The FIA informed teams at the end of June that it would be moving to slow down pitstops on safety grounds, removing some elements of automation.

It was a move that Horner said at the time would “dilute” the times achieved by teams in the pits, but the FIA brought the clampdown into force from the Belgian Grand Prix.

In last Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix, Red Bull - routinely the fastest team in the pits - struggled to complete its servicing of Verstappen in its usual sub-two second time due to an issue on the front-right wheel.

It resulted in an 11-second pit stop that dropped Verstappen back, eventually leaving him on the same bit of track as title rival Lewis Hamilton just moments before their collision.

Horner said after the race that the slow pitstop was an “uncharacteristic issue” that would need to be investigated, but has now revealed that it was a mistake that resulted from the FIA’s technical directive.

“There was a rare human error in our pitstop, as a result of the new technical directive but nonetheless something we need to learn from,” Horner wrote in his regular column for the Red Bull team’s website.

“That slow stop put Max out of synch from where he should’ve been on track. Mercedes compounded that situation as they faltered with their own stop on Hamilton's car, which meant both drivers were neck and neck.

“Both drivers knew they needed to be ahead because of the difficulty to overtake. Max was keen to seize the momentum and Lewis was eager to retain track position.”

Sochi penalty “not such a handicap”

Hamilton and Verstappen collided at the first chicane moments after Hamilton had exited the pits, with the crash ending both of their races.

Both drivers blamed each other for the incident, but the stewards ruled that Verstappen was predominantly to blame, resulting in a three-place grid penalty for the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi.

Horner’s immediate reaction to the crash was that both drivers could have given each other more space, and he was unchanged in his opinion, feeling the FIA could have made a stronger statement by penalising both drivers.

“I still share the same belief today: both played a part in it and it is difficult to apportion blame to one side more than the other,” Horner said.

“If the FIA wanted to make a statement, they could’ve imposed the same penalty on both drivers but the fault was deemed to be more on Max's side and, because he didn’t finish the race, the only option was to give him a grid penalty, which we accept.”

Horner added that taking the penalty in Sochi would be “not such a handicap” for Verstappen thanks to the long run to the first braking point, but was braced for Mercedes to be strong again.

“I was looking through the results at the Russian Grand Prix and back in 2018, Max went from last to first before needing to make his pitstop,” Horner said.

“We were second there last year but it’s a circuit we have never won at. It has been a Mercedes stronghold.

“For me, Monza and Sochi, I’ve them marked down mentally as Mercedes circuits so it will be a challenge.”

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Masi says Silverstone, Monza F1 clash penalties not comparable

Next article Science, not luck saved Hamilton in Monza F1 crash - halo uni director

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role

NASCAR Truck

NSTR NASCAR Truck

Homestead

6 min

Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role

The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season

Formula 1

The surprising convergence behind F1's increasingly competitive 2026 season

“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1 4 h

“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return

Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign

IMSA

IMSA IMSA 4 h

Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign

Feature

Discover prime content

Tough love and F1 titles – A key life lesson behind Wolff's Mercedes success

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Ronald Vording

Tough love and F1 titles – A key life lesson behind Wolff's Mercedes success

How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Filip Cleeren

How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't

Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s

Formula 1

By Kevin Turner

Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s

Why Rafael Camara should take heart from a tough F1 debut in Brazil

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

Why Rafael Camara should take heart from a tough F1 debut in Brazil

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts