Beating Lewis Hamilton will be a ‘massive challenge’, says Red Bull chief

Max Verstappen may have lept to secure the advantage of winning the pole position at the Bahrain Grand Prix but Christian Horner, chief of the Red Bull team, has alerted against a potential increase in competition from Mercedes. 

Defending champion Lewis Hamilton’s improvement since his appearance in the pre-season test was acknowledged by Horner, who struggled to contain his excitement. 

Verstappen, who is set to stand first on Sunday’s race, took the lead in an intense last lap and beat Hamilton with a close call, securing his fourth pole position. 

Also Read: Verstappen beats Hamilton to pole at season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix

“Mercedes – look at what they turned up,” said Horner.

“Everyone was writing them off in the last couple of weeks and they are right there and they are going to be right there in the race again tomorrow. They are going to be a massive challenge for us to beat them, but we are starting in the best possible place.”

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Horner confirmed the speculation around Verstappen’s damaged car after it went over the kerbs during the qualifying round. 

“He smacked the bottom of the car hard. We lost a few bits of carbon. He is carrying a very small bit of damage through the session.

“You think ‘oh no’, but he has handled that incredibly well. He felt it, he’s obviously sitting on it, but he handled that very well.”