Red Bull principal Christian Horner has shared that his team is unlikely to protest against the penalty that cost Max Verstappen his win at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Verstappen started the race from pole position but finished second, behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, after being given a 5-second penalty. Piastri made a move down the inside of Turn 1, forcing Verstappen off track at the following part of the chicane, yet Verstappen gained an advantage according to the rules.

Red Bull disagreed with the decision, arguing that Piastri’s move had forced Verstappen off the track and chose not to give back the position. However, the stewards disagreed and gave him a penalty, which Verstappen had to serve in the pit lane. This dropped him behind Piastri, which effectively determined the outcome of the race.

Despite their dissatisfaction, Horner said it was unlikely that Red Bull would pursue an official review of the penalty, even though they might present new evidence to the stewards.

“We did speak with the stewards after the race,” Horner explained to F1.com. “They were very confident in their decision. If we were to challenge it, they would probably stick with their stance. We’ll show them the onboard footage that wasn’t available at the time, but I think it’s highly unlikely they’ll change their mind.”

Horner also pointed out the onboard footage, which he believes shows that Verstappen was ahead of Piastri at Turn 1. Horner expressed his belief that the penalty was harsh and that Red Bull didn’t believe Verstappen had done anything wrong.

“You can clearly see Max was ahead at the apex of the corner,” Horner said to Sky Sports. “We didn’t give up the position because we didn’t think we had to. The rules were clear, and this decision felt very harsh.”

Horner added that if they had given up the position to Piastri, Verstappen would have been at a disadvantage, as he would have been in the dirty air and could have lost more places. After serving the penalty, Verstappen managed to finish under 2.6 seconds behind Piastri.

“Without that five-second penalty, we would have won,” Horner said to BBC Sport. “But decisions like this are always open to different opinions.”

Horner also noted that the five-second penalty suggested that the stewards had some doubt, as they hadn’t given the usual 10-second penalty.

“Looking at the footage, I don’t understand how they came to their conclusion,” Horner said to F1.com. “Max can’t just vanish in that moment. Maybe the rules need another look. It felt like the freedom to race on the first lap was lost.”