Horner happy after first place, but: "Mercedes look pretty ominous"

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14:09, 26 Mar 2021

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner is satisfied with the first free practice session in which Max Verstappen was fastest. The Brit has revealed there are no problems, as the team had in previous seasons. He also had a look at the high rake of the other teams.

Horner not cheering too much yet

"It's always great to see your car at the top of the timesheet, but Mercedes are looking pretty ominous. We can't take anything for granted, but we're happy with the performance so far," Horner told Sky Sports F1 after the first free practice session.

Red Bull's start to the season has been smooth so far, the team didn't experience any problems during testing either. "Hopefully, we've got a good starting base that we can then build on through the season," Horner continued.

The opposition looks to Red Bull

With the change to the floor, it seems that more and more teams are choosing to drive with a high 'rake'. This means that the floor at the back of the car is higher than at the front. Horner is also noticing this.

"It's interesting to see, you know, some of our competitors going higher and higher on rear rake and on rear ride heights when, traditionally, they've stayed very low. Hopefully it's something that can be put to good use."

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	100
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	80
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	63
4	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	51
5	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	49
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	43
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	26
8	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	16
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	10
11	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	5
12	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
13	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	4
15	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	1
17	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	1
18	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Horner happy after first place, but: "Mercedes look pretty ominous"

Horner not cheering too much yet

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