Christian Horner, the head of Red Bull Racing, noted that the pit crew wasn't fully prepared for Max Verstappen's first stop at the Spanish GP because the order hadn't come from the pit wall.
At the beginning of the race, Verstappen successfully battled Hamilton for the lead at the first turn. By Lap 25, he came in for a pit stop, but the crew seemed delayed in their movements compared to their usual precision. Horner later confirmed that there had been no prior radio instruction before the car entered the pits.
According to Horner, Verstappen decided to pit on his own initiative, which is why the team wasn't ready. Nevertheless, Horner praised the crew's phenomenal effort to fix the situation quickly and ensure the driver didn't lose his place on the track.
Mercedes managed to outsmart Red Bull by opting for a two-stop strategy, which gave Hamilton the pace needed to hunt down and overtake Verstappen toward the end. Horner admitted that while they took the early advantage, Lewis Hamilton simply handled his tire degradation more effectively.
Red Bull avoided the two-stop approach because, by Lap 42, their analysis suggested that overtaking the Mercedes on track would be nearly impossible. Horner believed that if they surrendered their lead by pitting, the superior pace of the 'Silver Arrow' on that specific day would have made it impossible to reclaim the top spot.
When asked if they could have anticipated Mercedes' second stop—especially since Verstappen was complaining about his tires—Horner argued that pitting from the lead on Lap 42 would have been too risky. Most data indicated the tires could last until the finish. He admitted this wasn't the fastest possible strategy, but with Bottas trailing closely, it was the safest way to maintain their position.