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Red Bull is "surprised" by Ferrari's pace in Austria: "They could have gone 1-2

Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted he was surprised by Ferrari in Austria, but doesn't see the Italians' unreliability as an advantage

Red Bull is "surprised" by Ferrari's pace in Austria: "They could have gone 1-2

Red Bull had the favoritism to win the Austrian GP, but was caught on the back foot by Ferrari's great pace. Charles Leclerc overtook Max Verstappen three times, before confirming his third win of the season and cutting a few points off the Dutchman's championship lead. But, as usual, the Maranello team's good performance left Christian Horner with a flea behind his ear.

"I think they certainly came close in terms of performance on the straights," Horner said. "But, yes, they are horses for courses. It will be interesting [to see] on the next circuits how that plays out," he added.

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Red Bull acredita em melhora da Ferrari nas retas (Foto: Red Bull Content Pool)
Red Bull believes in Ferrari's improvement on the straights (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)

Carlos Sainz also had excellent pace, including at the moment when he would try to steal second position from Verstappen. Only it was at this moment that his engine broke down and caused him to abandon - his fourth abandonment of the season.

The Taurinos' boss, however, does not believe it is an advantage. "[It's a problem that] we can't control or take advantage of in any way. I think we have to focus on ourselves and just get the best out of our own package," he spoke.

"They had a very strong car [at the Austrian GP]. They could have finished well first and second. Up until lap 12, the weekend had gone very well [for us], in terms of pole-position, sprint wins. But unfortunately tire degradation hit us hard," Horner concluded.