Christian Horner thinks Daniil Kvyat would have challenged Sebastian Vettel for the last spot on the Silverstone podium were it not for a costly spin in the rain.
Red Bull brought an updated package to the British Grand Prix and looked stronger at the Northampton circuit than it did in Canada and Austria. While Daniel Ricciardo's race ended with an early ERS and turbo failure, Kvyat finished sixth having been one of the fastest men on intermediate tyres.
However, a costly spin on the lap before he pitted for intermediates may have cost Kvyat the shot at a first career podium.
"Dany had a spin on his out lap," Horner said. "He lost about 10 or 12 seconds, plus the deteriorating circuit; I think without that he would have been pushing Sebastian for a podium."
Kvyat had taken the fight to the Ferraris in the dry segment of the race and Horner says the late rain showers created a tricky situation on the Red Bull pit wall.
"Kvyat made a very good move on Seb [Vettel] into Luffield. Then we were really focussed on a one-stop strategy and we weren't sure whether Ferrari were going to try and do two or one at that stage, we were just running our fastest race. Kvyat seemed to have very good pace, unfortunately Ricciardo started to develop a problem and then had to retire the car with the electrical failure of ERS and turbo in the end.
"Then the rain started to come and it's always that frustrating scenario, you're watching and listening to the drivers, you're looking at the lap times - not to go to intermediates too early and chew them up but not to do it too late. I think the two guys that timed it too perfection today were the guys with the experience in Lewis [Hamilton] and Seb."
Asked if it was bad for F1 to see the same faces on the podium again, Horner replied: "I think although the result was the same today the race was fantastic. It had a bit of everything, Williams making a good start added another dimension to it, you had four cars pulling away. For the first time since Monaco it felt like we were in the race, racing the Ferraris."