Red Bull are keen to understand what led to their superior speed after Max Verstappen claimed an "amazing" win at the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
The Dutchman was simply too fast for Mercedes on Sunday at Silverstone as better tyre wear meant better pace than both Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton, as he used a longer first stint on hard tyres to essentially overcut the all-black Silver Arrows.
Once ahead, Verstappen then simply pulled out enough of a margin to ensure his first win of the season and end the German manufacturer's 100% record in 2020.
"It was an amazing performance today," team boss Christian Horner told Sky Sports.
"I mean, the pace in the race was beyond what we expected. We started on that sort of reverse strategy, and Max was just chilling out to the beginning of the race.
"And the pace in the car, it was just so easy today, and even after Mercedes pitted and went on to a new hard, we were able to pull away, and at that point, you think this is really game on now."
Also Read:
- Verstappen suggests Pirelli ensure more two-stop races after Silverstone win
- Bottas claims Mercedes strategy was 'far from ideal', Wolff bites back
- Mercedes: The days we lose are the days our rivals should fear
As Verstappen gained on the Mercedes, Red Bull asked him to hold back, fearing it would increase the tyre wear on his tyres.
Max though overrode that decision, suggesting it was first chance to challenge the German manufacturer this year and that he wasn't "sitting behind like a grandma".
"His grandma must drive pretty quickly!" Horner said in response.
"We just had them [Mercedes] covered today and I think there's a lot for us to understand from this race.
"The car worked fantastically well, with Alex [Albon] as well, and the pace was right there."
And as for Verstappen's decision not to follow the team instruction, the Briton later told RaceFans...
“We know that by following a car closely you do damage your tyres and we knew that Mercedes would pit because they were on that softer compound, to begin with.
“We wanted to make sure that we could make hay while the sun was shining and have tyres left," he explained.
“But he’s got a great feeling for these tyres. We’ve seen him on numerous occasions, managing the tyres incredibly well.
“He was really protecting those tyres through the high-speed corners and was well placed for when they did pit, so he was absolutely right [to ignore the call] ."
