Christian Horner has emphasized the critical factors that could pose challenges for Max Verstappen in his pursuit of triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix.
In a stunning display of superiority, Verstappen took charge of the qualifying session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, establishing such a commanding lead that he chose to abort his final attempt.
The Dutch driver ended up crossing the finish line over four-tenths of a second faster than Carlos Sainz, who secured the second spot on the grid.
For the current season, the circuit has undergone a notable transformation as the final chicane has been eliminated, making way for the reinstatement of the previous high-speed double right-hander to mark the end of the lap.
This revised layout introduces an exhilarating new challenge for the drivers, injecting an element of thrill and unpredictability into the race.
“It has gone old-school and the hammering you give the front left around here now, it is all right-hand corners and high-speed corners,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.
“It is going to be fascinating strategy-wise to see who picks what strategy and who picks what tires for the start.
“That’s what will come into play, it will all be tire deg, unless it is raining.”
In response to the observation that Horner didn’t include any of Red Bull’s rivals when discussing the potential challenges Verstappen might face in securing his fifth win of the season, he replied: “They’re the biggest factors that prevent him from winning this Grand Prix.
“We have got to make sure we are on top of our game, on top of the weather, the strategy, and the tires and all the variables that can go wrong.
“Great for him, his first pole here and our first pole [here] since 2011 with Mark Webber.”
