Christian Horner was positive about the outcome of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix despite a mistake by Max Verstappen costing a better starting position than sixth.
Daniel Ricciardo was able to pull a stunning lap out of the bag as the chequered flag fell to take third on the grid, and with both drivers starting on the Supersoft tyre rather than the Ultrasoft of everyone else within the top ten, the Team Principal of Red Bull Racing believes the team are in a good position with their strategy for Sunday’s race.
“A great final lap by Daniel to find that half a tenth to move himself ahead of Kimi to get the best seat for tomorrow’s start,” said Horner. “It was a shame for Max because he was up on his lap but when he arrived at turn 11 he just lost the front axle and therefore the time that he had found was gone.
“Nonetheless starting third and sixth on the grid here for what’s bound to be an exciting start tomorrow is not a bad place to be. Strategically we’ve chosen to start on the supersoft tyre believing it to be a little bit more robust than the ultrasoft which again brings another dimension to the race. Hopefully if we can get a good start then we should be in good shape with those tyres.”
