Horner sees opportunity from the second row: "Effect of weather interesting"

Red Bull Racing had a very difficult weekend at the Italian Grand Prix. The expectation was that things would go better at Mugello, but still the relief that the team is so close to Mercedes is noticeable. The words of Christian Horner after qualifying also show this.

"It’s great to have both drivers up on the second row in qualifying. We were just a couple of tenths shy of Mercedes but it was one of the closest sessions this year and hopefully we can race well from there. Alex has had a strong weekend with his best F1 qualifying result to date which will provide him with confidence ahead of the race."

Warm weather and tyres always an exciting combination

From that second row, a lot is still possible this weekend. The circuit of Mugello is notorious for its rough asphalt and in combination with the temperatures the tyres will have a hard time. During the free practice sessions on Friday the drivers said that this was not too bad, but really long stints were not driven and on Sunday it will be a few degrees warmer.

"It’s going to be interesting to see what effect the warm weather has on strategies and of course there’s no historic data here so you’ve got to be prepared to be reactive. The drivers are really enjoying this circuit, it’s a fast old school track so let’s hope it produces a great race tomorrow,” Horner said.