Christian Horner reflected on his team’s incredible title campaign, saying that even they never expected it to go this way.
Red Bull have been exceptional this season, and have gone toe-to-toe with Mercedes. They have even beaten them a fair bit this season, but recent dips in form have set the stage for winnings to be had even on the last day of the season.
Max Verstappen is level on points with Lewis Hamilton, but the Red Bull driver leads having won nine races to eight. The championship decider is thus happening in Abu Dhabi, and it is sure to be a cracker.
Horner reflected on Red Bull’s incredible title campaign, and said that they would have killed to be in such a position at the season opener.
“There is no issue with that. We’re a team that goes for it,” he said, as quoted by GP Fans.
“We are equal on points but leading by virtue of the number of wins. Who’d have thought that at the beginning of the year?
“If you’d have given us this chance, this one shot to win this world championship at the last race in Abu Dhabi after 21 races of intense battle with Mercedes, we would have all, as a team, bitten your arm off for that.
“It’s the first time since we were last there in 2010 and 2012 with Sebastian (Vettel) that rival teams go into the last race fighting for the drivers’ world championship. So there will be no problem in raising morale going into this final weekend.”
So lucky
Horner also talked about the infamous Saudi Arabian GP, and suggested that Hamilton has had less bad luck than Verstappen.
“It was a crazy race, one we managed to lead a large percentage of, and we actually came out of it with a second place,” he said.
“But lady luck is shining on Lewis at the moment. (Esteban) Ocon drove over his front wing at the restart, which held on there; he drove up the back of Max. He’s ridden his luck.”
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