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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that the team could have qualified on the front row for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix. The energy drink team had to settle for fourth and fifth, with Max Verstappen getting the better of Daniel Ricciardo.
However, Ricciardo was stung with a 3-place grid penalty on Friday, which means he will start the race eighth on the grid. Verstappen's lap was seven-tenths of a second down on Lewis Hamilton, who took pole for tomorrow's race.
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Horner says that Verstappen made a slight mistake on his lap at Turn 13, which may well have cost the team a front row start. The Milton Keynes outfit will also be starting the Grand Prix on a different compound to those around them, which Horner hopes will aid their strategy.
"After the rain this morning we had a dry qualifying, and it was certainly very tight between ourselves and the Ferraris. Unfortunately Max on his last lap made a small mistake at turn 13 that cost him a couple of tenths otherwise the front row was potentially achievable today.
"Daniel also did not have a perfect Q3, finishing in P5 and unfortunately with the penalty he incurred yesterday will be starting in P8. We’ve elected to start on a different tyre strategy to our competitors and hopefully that will provide different options for tomorrow."
Fergal Walsh
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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calle.itw
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But it was nevertheless a good result for them. Remember, RB tend to be pretty mediocre at season starts, especially now during the hybrid era. In that regard, this is some really good stuff for them. If Bottas doesnt catch up to Hammy, they and Ferrari'll be chomping on Hammy's bits.