Horner says team analysed what went wrong in race-losing pit stop
Monday 13 June 2016 12:12, UK
Christian Horner says Red Bull will implement "robust procedures" to ensure there is no repeat of the tyre mix-up which cost Daniel Ricciardo victory in Monaco.
Red Bull missed out on a rare direct defeat of Mercedes in last weekend's race when tyres for Ricciardo, the long-time race leader, were not ready for his arrival in the pit lane.
Ricciardo was a picture of frustration after the race and Horner, Red Bull's team principal, admitted the loss of the victory was "absolutely gutting".
"Inevitably there's been a huge amount of analysis into what happened, why it happened and also into preventative measures to ensure that it doesn't happen again," Horner told the team's website.
"But, what's done is done and now our focus firmly moves to the next Grand Prix in Montreal, which of course was the scene of Daniel's first victory two years ago."
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Having run one lap longer than Lewis Hamilton at the final stops in a bid to gain track position before their own switch to dry tyres, Red Bull's pitwall - which in Monaco, unlike other circuits, is situated above the garages - asked their pit crew ready the supersoft tyres for Ricciardo's arrival.
However, in the cramped confines of the Monaco pitlane, the tyres were not readily accessible and Ricciardo's departure was delayed by 10 seconds - time which allowed eventual race winner Hamilton back through into the lead.
"It was the culmination of a number factors that came into play during the race," said Horner. Max [Verstappen]'s stop, an aborted stop, a change of tyre compound... all of those things contributed to a scenario where ultimately the tyres that were believed to be available were not within the garage, but were in an area that was quite difficult to access and that, of course, led to the tyres not being available to Daniel at the point at which he stopped.
"Yes, it was hugely frustrating, but afterwards it was never going to be a finger-pointing exercise. As I said after the race, we win and we lose together as a team. It's a question of understanding what went wrong, working as a team to solve the issue and then taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen again.
"In competitive sport you are always pushing right to the edge and that's what happened in Monaco. Now we simply need to make sure that robust procedures are put in place to cover any given scenario."
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But while frustrated to miss out on a second successive race win, Horner insists the team should not lose sight of the fact their improved results so far in 2016 are "more than anybody could have dreamt of at the start of the year".
"The team is pumped that we have a competitive car; that we put it on pole position, that on Sunday we had a car we could really race with," he added. "Really, we should have beaten Mercedes fair and square, so I think an awful lot of heart can be taken from that, an awful lot of confidence.
"Finally, the upgraded power unit has delivered exactly what Renault said it would and that's certainly a positive as we head towards more power-related circuits. We're relishing the prospect of the next few races."
