Horner remains optimistic: "We should have a good race car"

Red Bull Racing were beaten to the front-row by 2022 rivals Ferrari in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. Team boss Christian Horner explains the Verstappen mistake that took him out of the battle for pole position. Despite the unfavoured result from a Red Bull perspective, Horner remains positive and confident. 

Verstappen mistake

In the final run of Q3, Verstappen ran over the kerbs and therefore lost a significant amount of time. Horner highlighted how Verstappen struggled to put laps together in practice through various issues caused by the car and the circuit traffic. 

"Ferrari did a strong job. When it's so close, it's fine margins. After the first run, it was looking positive but unfortunately a small mistake and that was it for Max, that was the end of qualifying, unfortunately. It was a good recovery from him, he was on the back foot down on lap count. Still learning about the track," Horner told Sky Sports after qualifying. 

The data from the 2022 season shows that Red Bull have the advantage over Ferrari on the straights. With the Miami circuit featuring two really long straights, Horner sees a reason to be optimistic. "We know we have good straight-line speed, we should have a good race car. Should be some places to overtake tomorrow," he added. 

"We have a different race car, they're carrying more downforce. It will be a fascinating contest. The DRS will be pretty powerful, with the support races the braking zones will open up a bit. Ferrari are very strong around here, with strategy and a bit of luck. See what the weather does, there's a bit of rain about. The pit stop will be crucial, nobody has done a long run so we don't know the deg. We will be working it out on the fly."