It is only when Christian Horner begins to recount the seconds immediately after the crash at Copse Corner that a little of the defiance leaves his voice. Horner admits there is a paternal relationship between Red Bull and Max Verstappen. ‘You have to be very careful with the damage you don’t see,’ Horner adds. ‘It was our duty to Max to try to demonstrate the facts,’ Horner explains. Max has got a great car, it’s the first time he’s been in this position where every race is a cup final. The telling thing was how was he going to respond,’ says Horner, ‘because some drivers with a crash like that are a bit tentative when they get back in the car. There is a sense, though, that Red Bull feel they are taking on a monolith in Mercedes. There is a genuine belief that we could win this year.’.

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