F1, Red Bull: Christian Horner’s priority is not budget cap

Horner is focused on the match-point that Max Verstappen will have

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner spoke at the end of the second free practice session, at the Suzuka circuit in Japan, saying he was calm about the budget cap issue and that he was totally focused on the Grand Prix that could hand Max Verstappen his second consecutive world title.

“It’s an important weekend for Max. It’s a possibility rather than a probability. There is another match point for him and that is what we are focused on. To be honest, all the noise around other issues can only suggest that it was designed as a distraction. We also expected the certificates to be issued by the FIA on Wednesday, so we wait with interest to see what happens on Monday. Again, we believe that we have complied with the cost ceiling and regulations and are comfortable with our position. We are just waiting to hear the feedback,” explained the British executive.

“It is a difficult track especially for tires. We only used one set of intermediates in this session, while I think Mercedes used three. So, I think our pace is reasonable. I don’t want to draw too many conclusions because here you can see right away that the front tires go out. So the guys have to take a lot of data into account. Overall, it was a pretty reasonable day. It’s a matter of finding the right compromise, because tomorrow promises to be dry and Sunday wet. So, you have to make sure you find the right middle ground. Definitely, using an extra set of tires, especially in the first sector, gives a big advantage. So, today’s times are not representative, but you can see that Mercedes and Ferrari are competitive,” Horner continued, analyzing the circuit.