“Tactically, we got it right,” Christian Horner highlights Red Bull outsmarting Mercedes in Abu Dhabi

“Tactically, we got it right,” Christian Horner highlights Red Bull outsmarting Mercedes in Abu Dhabi

Christian Horner

The 2021 Abu Dhabi GP saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen becoming the F1 world champion ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in an unusual fashion following the controversial call of Michael Masi. However, Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, believes that it was Red Bull’s strategy and Max’s move on Lewis that made Max F1 world champion.

Horner, while talking with talkSPORT, said, “Tactically, we were sharp at the end. When [Nicholas Latifi’s] crash came five laps from the end we reacted immediately. We got Max in, pitted him for a new set of tires, [while] Mercedes left Lewis out on what [were] 44-lap tires at the end of their life.”

“Max had to make that pass on the last lap, which he did. There has been some hiding around the controversy. The bottom line was that tactically we got it right. Max delivered the move and became the World Champion,” added Horner.

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Christian Horner’s statements make it clear that he believes people aren’t crediting Max and the team enough for their quick reaction. It wasn’t just pure luck for the team but also the actions that they took.

Horner’s view of Red Bull v/s Mercedes through the season

Red Bull's Christian Horner and Max Verstappen
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen

Christian Horner strongly thinks Red Bull had a better season than Mercedes and a better final race. And the Red Bull boss wants everyone to know this.

He said, “It was an intense period. You have to look at the season over the 22 races. We had a lot of decisions go against us earlier in the year and penalties that weren’t awarded and so on.”

“We got a little bit lucky at the end, and sometimes that happens in sport; it’s not over until the whistle goes or the flag falls,” concluded Horner.

Here, Christian Horner could be referencing the clash of Verstappen and Hamilton in Silverstone or the nudge by Lewis Hamilton to Verstappen in Saudi Arabia. Regardless of the decisions made by the stewards then, the tactics or the luck seem to have worked out perfectly for Red Bull.

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