The F1® Insider: Verstappen's victory bursts Melbourne curse
Monday, 3 April 2023
Max Verstappen's 37th F1® triumph meant more than just another win – it meant Christian Horner got to do some rare celebrating in Australia.
Christian Horner saw the question coming and didn't hold back. Sure, Red Bull Racing had come to the FORMULA 1 ROLEX AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2023 with back-to-back 1-2 results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to start 2023, but much as the team has enjoyed coming to Albert Park over its 19-year history, Horner knew the numbers. And they were unkind.
Only once – in 2011 – had Horner enjoyed a celebratory Aussie party before boarding the plane back to Europe, Sebastian Vettel's victory 12 years ago the only time one of the sport's most successful modern teams has won in Melbourne. When you consider the wins and titles racked up by the team since it's a remarkable run of outs – but not one Horner was prepared to call a curse despite evidence to the contrary.
"Out record here has been s**t," Horner countered, before expanding with more clarity, and less profanity. But it was a succinct point well made. And the key word in that utterance? "Has", after Max Verstappen took his maiden Melbourne win on Sunday, and buried Red Bull's Melbourne hoodoo with it.
Horner must have wondered what black cat he had crossed or ladder he'd walked under when Sergio Perez's error-strewn Saturday ended up in the gravel at Turn 3 in the first period of qualifying and stuck in 20th place on the grid for Sunday's race, but he needn't have worried. Verstappen – now, the Dutchman says, fully healthy after feeling like he was "missing a lung" on the Jeddah race weekend – had a maiden pole in Melbourne on his mind, and set a circuit record with a lap of 1min 16.732secs to achieve it – the first driver ever to lap Albert Park in less than 77 seconds.
Fast-forward to Sunday's madcap race that went for two-and-a-half hours, saw chaos and carnage come in a rush and created a piece of history as the only F1® race to feature three red flags, Verstappen sailed serenely along – a lap 46 trip across the grass at the penultimate corner a rare heart-in-mouth moment after locking a brake – and got a reward that, for his boss, was a long time coming.
"I think I did the city a favour … I cut the grass so they don't need to do that any more," Verstappen laughed of his late-race off-track excursion that must have given Horner a brief, yet familiar, sinking feeling of impending doom.
"I locked up a bit and didn't want to flat-spot the tyre completely and ran a bit wide, but we had a good margin. It's great to win here, my first (in Australia) as well. It's been a while for the team as well.
"With these red flags … it was a bit of a mess but we survived everything, and I had pace in the car. We won, which is the most important."
Red Bull target wins at every Grand Prix – remarkably, Sunday's victory was the team's 19th out of the 22 races since last April in Melbourne when Charles Leclerc dominated – but you can bet Verstappen will have Singapore circled in September now he has an Australian visit to the podium's top step ticked.
Now with 37 F1® wins, the Marina Bay circuit remains the only track on the calendar for the duration of the Dutchman's career he's yet to conquer. But as the team packed down as the first day of Australian Standard Time plunged the paddock into an early darkness on Sunday evening, that's a goal that can wait.
With four weeks until the next race in Azerbaijan, Horner can afford to linger in Melbourne a little longer for the rare opportunity of an after-party. Given how long it took to happen for a second time, it should be one that lasts well into the early hours of Monday morning.
