Verstappen was 24 seconds clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the closing stages of the Red Bull Ring race, which was just more than the time lost by pitting for fresh tyres.
But despite the close margins and the risk of losing the lead if the stop went wrong, Red Bull elected to pit the world champion for softs so he could snatch the fastest lap point on the run to the chequered flag.
The stop was brilliantly executed, and Verstappen was able to emerge still in the lead as he duly went on to grab the extra point.
Reflecting on the potential dangers of stopping when the margins were so tight, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner reckoned that the faith he had in his team to get everything right meant he did not feel it too much of a gamble.
Speaking about the late stop, Horner said: “It was the first time we’ve been back here since Dietrich’s passing, so it felt very poignant that it was a great team performance today.
“We decided to go for the last lap, the fastest lap on the last lap, despite the risk involved in fluffing a pitstop. That [Mateschitz's absence] was in the back of my mind and his mantra was always no risk, no fun.
“But the mechanics have been in such great form, that it seemed a low-risk thing to do in the end.”
Source: Autosport