Mercedes' DAS gave Lewis Hamilton restart edge - Red Bull boss Christian Horner

Eifel Grand Prix

DAS gave Hamilton restart edge - Horner

Max Verstappen had to settle for second behind Hamilton

Ewan Gale

Tuesday 13 October 2020 08:34

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes Mercedes' DAS system gave Max Verstappen no chance to fight for the win at the Eifel Grand Prix.

A late safety car period, triggered by Lando Norris' retired McLaren, offered Verstappen hope of battling Lewis Hamilton for the final 12 laps, only for the Briton to drive clear upon the restart.

Horner put the situation purely down to the temperature Hamilton was able to put into the tyres with the dual-axis steering system behind the safety car.

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"I think that because the safety car waited for so long for the field to catch up and was going so slowly, the tyre temperature was a big issue," explained Horner.

"I think Mercedes, with the DAS system, were able to handle that a little bit better than we were. The restart was a little tricky, Max handled that well and then it was pretty straightforward to the end of the race."

The return to the Nürburgring showed vast improvement for Red Bull as it was able to take the challenge to Mercedes on pure merit across the weekend.

At one point during qualifying, Verstappen was on provisional pole in Q3, only to be dropped to third on the grid by late flying laps from Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton.

Throughout the race, Verstappen kept Hamilton in his sights for long periods, and although unable to mount a challenge, Horner was left optimistic by the progress made.

"It was a very solid drive," he added. "[Verstappen] nicked fastest lap at the end of the race as well.

"He was gentle on the tyres at the beginning of the race and really, Max and Lewis, at one point, were over 50 seconds ahead of Ricciardo in P3 and were closing on lapping P4.

"It was a very dominant display and it does feel like we have made progress. We have gotten a little closer to Mercedes again and was able to get that second place again."

Alluding to Hamilton's radio message on the cool-down lap, in which he praised Red Bull's speed, Horner said: "I think we have made a bit of progress which is encouraging.

"We are still pushing, still trying to get performance into the car. There is still a lot of racing to do this year and we are determined to try and finish the season on a high."

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