Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has defended the decision to request that Max Verstappen be allowed to pass Sergio Perez on his way to winning the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen prevailed in Barcelona to take the lead in the title race, helped by previous frontrunner Charles Leclerc retiring in his Ferrari shortly after his first pit stop.

Perez initially had the advantage ahead of Verstappen, but the Mexican was asked to give up his lead over his teammate, something which subsequently proved crucial in the context of the race.

While Perez was unhappy with the decision, Horner maintained after the race that he had made the right decision for the team, claiming that it helped "bring both cars home".

Horner told Sky Sports: "They weren't in the same race. The strategy was different. The problem we had was we had temperatures raging - water, oil, brakes. The last thing you want to risk is a DNF when you could nail a one-two. Max had such a tyre advantage and Checo's tyres wouldn't have made it to the end.

"Our responsibility is bring both cars home. What Checo couldn't see at the time is he had such a long stint to do on that tyre. There is no point taking that risk. It was the right thing to do."

Verstappen eventually finished 13 seconds clear of Perez, with the Red Bull number two driver comfortably claiming the runner-up position by 19 seconds ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell who completed the podium.