Max Verstappen's outburst was "understandable" in the wake of his second retirement in a week at Mugello, Red Bull boss Christian Horner admits.

The Dutchman is having flashbacks to the Renault days as Honda engine problems left him pointless over the recent double-header in Italy, calling it a "f**king s**tshow" over the radio after he was punted out of the Tuscan Grand Prix.

"Max's frustration at another DNF is totally understandable," Horner wrote on the Red Bull website.

"From the very first lap in Mugello, he was on it. We had a very fast car and some real progress has been made with the balance of the car.

"We really felt that in the race we could take the fight to Mercedes. He had done the hard work in beating Lewis [Hamilton] off the line and it was going to be game on, but of course that did not materialise.

"That is what was so galling for him. In the heat of the moment when you have gone from the adrenaline of the start to the disappointment of ending up in the gravel trap, it is only natural to vent on the radio."

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The Red Bull chief noted the anger highlighted how desperate Verstappen is to get on terms with Mercedes, and revealed a meeting is planned to appease any Honda concerns.

"It was the second race in a row and a huge frustration for him because he is hungry and wants it so badly," he added.

"If he did not have that hunger he would not be the driver he is, and the one that we all want to watch fight for victories each weekend. He has to get it out of his system now and then look forward.

"We will go through it with him prior to Sochi and discuss what has been done behind the scenes between Honda and the team to help so it is rectified for the next race."

That next race, the Russian GP, has only been won by the Brackley-based team since its inaugural event in 2014 however, but Horner does feel there might be some weaknesses to potentially exploit.

"I expect Mercedes to be fired up and pretty dominant as it is their type of track," he said. "But as we have seen this season tyre degradation is an interesting factor.

"They weren't stretched last weekend, but you could hear how nervous they were, instructing their drivers to stay off the kerbs. So, it would be great if we can be competitive in Sochi and put them under a little bit of pressure because that is when things can happen.

"Championship wise, we are very much outsiders now and every race is a cup final for us. We are just going to go for it as we have nothing to lose."