Red Bull "only has to beat Lewis Hamilton" - Christian Horner

Dutch Grand Prix

Red Bull "only has to beat Hamilton" - Horner

Verstappen again faces two Mercedes drivers alone at the front

Sam Hall

Saturday 4 September 2021 19:45

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes the team must 'pick its fights' if Mercedes attempts to play a strategy game at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton will line up alongside one another on the front row for Sunday's race at Zandvoort but whilst Mercedes has Valtteri Bottas in third, Sergio Perez will start a lowly16th.

Hamilton has predicted the race will descend into a strategic battle but Horner and Verstappen are focused only on the seven-time champion.

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“We’ve just got to get our head down and get on with our own race," Horner told Sky Sports F1.

"In a perfect world, we drive away at the front but I just somehow think it’s not going to be that simple. They’ve got two guys that they can split their options.

“The only guy we have to beat is Lewis so you’ve got to pick your fights.”

Verstappen's lap of one minute 08.885secs secured pole by just 0.038s from Hamilton but Horner revealed a DRS issue had cost the Dutchman time on his final effort.

“We lost a lot of straight-line speed just down that last straight," he explained.

"It looks like the DRS hasn’t opened properly so he’s probably given away a tenth, a tenth-and-a-half, but an amazing performance by him under massive pressure so I’m really happy with that.”

Perez Q1 exit "a combination of things"

The session was one to forget for Perez with the Mexican entering the weekend on a three-race score-less streak and hoping to return to the podium.

“Unfortunately, I think it’s probably a combination of things," said Horner.

"I think we probably could have sent him a little bit earlier. We sent him with enough time but then they all backed up in the pit lane which they’re doing at this track an awful lot.

“So he lost an awful lot entering onto the circuit and it was very tight as he got to the last sector.

“We gave him the instruction ‘You need to push’ but there were still two or three cars ahead of him to get through those last corners.

"He missed out by a second-and-a-half so it was massively frustrating for the team but we’ll have to fight back tomorrow.”