Verstappen's third win of the season was anything but easy, because he lost the lead to Hamilton at the first corner at the start of the race after making a mistake with his braking. He regained the lead by undercutting Hamilton in what was thought would be his one and only pit stop but gave the lead back 14 laps later after pitting for a second time for fresh tyres. Red Bull were not sure they could get him home on one stop, leaving him with the task of closing down Hamilton's lead of about 30 seconds in the remaining 20 laps.
In the Spanish GP, Hamilton and Mercedes did exactly what Verstappen and Red Bull had to do this time, pitting for fresh rubber despite leading the race and then setting about regaining the lead. It paid off for Hamilton then and it paid off for Verstappen on this occasion, Horner telling him on the team radio that it was revenge for what happened in Barcelona.
"Then we were in the lead for a long time. It's great that Max could still pass, one and half laps before the end. It's fantastic that we're getting the full loot here, on a track where Mercedes is normally so strong. Two years ago, it was one of the most boring races of the past five years and Mercedes so dominant. Now it was one of the most exciting races of the past five years. It shows how hard the team has worked during the corona pandemic."
Horner and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff have recently been exchanging fairly critical and personal barbs about each other through the media. Horner told Wolff he "should keep his mouth shut" over the rear flexi wing issue, and Wolff responded by calling Horner "a windbag". The spark for those exchanges has been largely because of the season's close rivalry, but also Mercedes questioning the legality of the bending of the rear wing on the Red Bull with the FIA.
"There has been a lot of shouting, but we have always kept to the rules. We showed here that our speed is not based on that flexibility of the rear wing," Horner said.
Verstappen was upset with himself for his first corner mistake, but from that point on he was focused on regaining the lead. "The beginning I would say was really tricky for me. A little wobble into Turn 1 - it happens, so of course you have to analyse everything," he said.
"It just completely caught me out, so I was just fighting the car a lot. I was really upset at the time, but you have to just think ahead. It was still a long race, a lot of things could happen and I just tried to follow."
"Through the middle of that race, our pace started to pick up because the track had rubbered in and the wind was a bit calmer. That seemed to suit our car a little better, and to win it with two laps to go is very rewarding, especially on a track like this."
Horner had talked about Verstappen's victory being a case of revenge for Baku and maybe Barcelona, but the victor didn't see it that way.
"What happened in Baku you can't turn back, those points are lost," he said.
"I never really want to talk about revenge - you keep on going, try to do the best you can and of course, I'm very happy with this result."
Hamilton was fairly philosophical about his defeat, which means he now trails Verstappen by 12 points in the championship.
"There are a lot of positives to take from today, so I'm not seeing it as a tough day," Hamilton told Sky Sports. "I did everything I could out there and didn't really make any mistakes, and I'm generally happy with the position and results. It would have been nice to win but those guys are just too quick now. We are quite slow in a straight line."
"Ultimately, in the end, they stopped again before us so there was no reason for us to stop ourselves. We just had to try to hold on and see if we could say in front. Unfortunately, it didn't work."
Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas didn't agree with Hamilton's assessment that they had no reason to stop, judging by his rant on the car radio.
"Why the f*** did no one listen to me when I said it was going to be a two-stopper? F*****g hell," Bottas moaned.
Given there has been speculation in the press that George Russell could replace Bottas during this season, let alone next year, you might expect Toto Wollf to be unimpressed with Bottas' rant. But he welcomed it.
"I find it great. Finally, he starts to criticise. He's finally letting it all out and it's a joy to watch."
The team seemed to agree with Bottas' comment by telling Hamilton: "This one is on us. Thank you for doing everything you could to recover that race. You drove incredibly well."
Hamilton's former teammate, Nico Rosberg, had a dig at Hamilton however, in his role as a Sky Sports pundit, for not defending more vigorously when Verstappen passed him.
"Unusual from Lewis…close the damn door, no? Usually Lewis is like the best one–to-one racer and I'm surprised he didn't try." Rosberg suggested. "At least try and brake late and keep him on the outside, so a bit soft there from Lewis somehow."
Rosberg was also critical of Verstappen's mistake at the first corner but acknowledged the Red Bull team "from then on did an awesome job" while noting "some rather big mistakes on strategy from Mercedes".
"It's such a boost that they [Red Bull] are really becoming the dominant force more and more, which is putting so much pressure on Mercedes," he added.
Behind the Red Bulls and the Mercedes came the McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, the latter having a much better race, but still not yet on Norris' pace. Pierre Gasly was 7th for Alpha Tauri, ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Alpine, a combination getting better with each race.
So, what happened to the Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, who started the race from 5th and 7th respectively, and finished 11th and 15th?
"Today it has been really difficult," Leclerc said. "Now it's up to us to analyse well and to understand above all why we were so far [behind] in the race. Carlos and I struggled a lot, with me we tried a last pit stop in the end to try re-starting with the mediums, trying to do something different."
The French GP was the first of a three-header, as this weekend F1 is at the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian GP, followed a week later by the Styrian GP at the same circuit. Last year Bottas won the Austrian GP and Hamilton the Styrian GP. Hamilton notes that straight line speed is important at the Red Bull Ring "so it's going to be tough".
Judging by the cheers that were captured by the TV monitors when Verstappen overtook Hamilton for the second time to win his13th grand prix, the thousands of Dutch fans who in normal times flock to the Austrian event, will be hoping they have more to cheer about as Verstappen attempts to build on his championship lead.
Austrian pandemic laws only allow 3000 at outdoor events, but the Red Bull Ring management has found a loophole, claiming each stand has its own entry/ exit point, so the separate bubbles can be created. If large numbers are allowed in, you can guarantee the Verstappen stand will be filled to the max.