The qualifications of the Qatar Grand Prix ended in the name of disappointment regarding the Red Bull: on the one hand, the Austrian team cannot in fact rejoice for the conquest of the pole position, which instead ended up in the hands of the direct opponent of the Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, even with the 2nd place obtained by Max Verstappen. On the other hand there is the total regret for the11th place for Sergio Perez, even eliminated in Q2 along with other top-tier drivers such as Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Regarding the performance of their drivers, the team principal of the Milton Keynes house, Christian Horner, analyzed the results of the tests valid for the composition of the starting grid, also focusing on the forecasts for Sunday’s race, which will start at 15:00 Italian time under the spotlight of the new Losail track. Before that, the British manager commented on Hamilton’s performance:
“Lewis made a difference in turns 6 and 7 on the last lap – he has declared – and it was incredible especially in the sector where there are the slowest corners of the track. From what we could see, the his speed was normal in straight lines. It seems to have gone down a bit, so much so that it is now comparable to ours, but I really don’t think we were the ones who found something, as Wolff said. Lewis finished a crazy final lap, in which he was very, very fast ”. Once Hamilton’s qualification was underlined, Horner highlighted Verstappen’s result, focusing on the scenarios that could occur in the race: “In any case – he added – we have Max in the front row, and he will start in front of Valtteri. It is a pity and a disappointment not to have Checo in the top ten. Tomorrow the pit-stop strategy and tire wear will certainly be important to analyze but, first of all, the departure will be decisive and the entry into turn 1. On this track it is difficult to stay close to the car in front, and it will be just as difficult to overtake. For this, the first 400 or 500 meters will be fundamental “.
“Being second is a disappointment – he added – but we could also have finished third. Max was very good at getting the best out of the car, and I can guarantee that he will be able to regain the leadership of the race; if he sees a gap, he will exploit it, although Damon Hill may disagree. During free practice – he concluded – neither we nor Mercedes did specific long run tests, also because we noticed a greater energy of the Pirelli tires that we had never seen before. Consequently, usury will be a decisive factor ”. Horner then added why Red Bull insisted so much that a load test be carried out on the rear wing of the Mercedes: “The load test is doing its duty, so much so that the speed on the straight is not only under control, but is also in line with that of the other competitors. It is an aspect that has not been seen for some races, and it will not only happen here, but also in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi ”. Red Bull’s goal, therefore, was to level the battleground in this respect in view of the very hot final of the season.
#Horner #applauds #Hamilton #Normal #top #speed #great #lap #FormulaPassionit