AUSTIN, Texas -- Daniel Ricciardo punched a hole through the wall of his changing room after retiring from the U.S. Grand Prix.
Ricciardo's race last just eight laps until he pulled over at the side of Turn 11 with a terminal car problem. The Australian had been running in fourth position -- compounding his misery further was the fact teammate Max Verstappen, who started 18th, finished the race in second.
It continued Ricciardo's tough spell and means he has still not been back on the podium since winning May's Monaco Grand Prix. Horner said Ricciardo's frustration got the better of him after the race.
"It's a crying shame for Daniel, I feel so sorry for him," Horner said. "It looks identical to the power unit issue he had in Bahrain where it's just gone into complete shutdown -- you could see it mid-corner.
"He was driving a strong grand prix and would have been right there too. It's so frustrating for him. He's taken out his frustration in his room by putting his fist through the wall which you can totally relate to."
While Horner said the Energy Store failure should not force Red Bull into a penalty at the Mexican Grand Prix, he admitted it was little consolation.
"It turned out to be exactly the same failure as in Bahrain earlier in the year where it loks like a major issue in the Energy Store. It just takes out all the power. We've got another Energy Store within the allocation without having to take a penalty. The Renault guys in the garage apologised, which we appreciate, but the frustration is for Daniel."