© Getty ImagesChristian's Column: Winning WaysAfter Max's win at Formula One's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, we caught up with Team Principal, Christian Horner to discuss his commanding drive for a ninth win in F1 and the call that made it happen.
Last Sunday was a real boost for the Team to beat Mercedes on track and on merit. It was also done in a fitting way, as Formula One celebrated its 70th anniversary with a sensational drive from one of the stars of the future.
I would be lying if I said it was also slightly surreal once the podium celebrations had finished.
We all got together for the Team photos, covered the drivers in Red Bull and toasted our success, but there was no party afterwards and it was also a shame not to feel the buzz of the fans celebrating with us.
The Team let loose at Silverstone.jpg© Getty Images
Everyone packed up and went home and that evening I was back with the children and managed to read them a story before they went off to sleep.
So it was pretty strange to think that just a few hours earlier we were winning the 70th Anniversary race and later on that evening I was reading a story about a goat!
There will be time for more celebrations I’m sure but current times have certainly changed the way things are done at the moment.
We were winning the 70th Anniversary race and later on that evening I was reading a story about a goat!
This victory moves Max into second place in the Drivers' Championship, despite a DNF in the first race of the season in Austria. If you remember, he was running second and had he won those 18 points the championship would be looking even closer.
But that said, you can’t look at the ifs and buts, even if the points would be pretty valuable right now. We have what we've got and we are still in the fight.
Perhaps the most stand out element behind his victory actually happened the day before in qualifying.
Our trackside strategist for the weekend, Will, suggested that we try and qualify Max on the hard tyre. Max was able to put in a competitive lap and we had confidence in the predicted cut-off time that it would just be enough that he wouldn’t need to run again in Q2.
Max Crosses The Line In P1 To Team Cheers© Vladimir Rys
It was incredibly close. He was only a few tenths clear of the cut-off and that hard tyre is quite a time penalty over a single lap, finishing ninth in Q2. That was a key moment and the rest of it was Max managing the tyre in the race and he did a phenomenal job.
At the end he was having some banter with his race engineer about hydrating and sanitizing his hands, but that just showed how in control he was at the time.
We have never been shy of taking calculated risks on different strategies and that has been one of our biggest strengths over the years.
We have been prepared to take on the risks and that has meant the drivers have to do their jobs. Max absolutely delivered and the pace we had in the race with both cars was phenomenal.
The whole factory has been working incredibly hard during these opening triple-headers and a result like Sunday makes you realise what all that hard work is for and it is the best repayment for all the long hours that are going in at the moment.
It definitely gives you energy when you get a result like that and with this gruelling schedule that is important.
I walked into the factory on Monday morning and there were smiles all round. I walked into the factory on Monday morning and there were smiles all round. Mercedes have been so dominant in the opening races but we beat them fair and square on the track, which is a great feeling and now we just have to carry that momentum forward.
I believe a championship has more value if you have had to fight for it. The championships that we won in 2010 and 2012 that went down to the final race, they were far more rewarding than the ones we ran away with in 2011 and 2013.
There was a real sense of elation because it had been a battle right through to the last moment and we are fighting once more. I think even Lewis said that he wants to be racing for victories, rather than dominating and we are certainly trying to not make life easy for him.
Alex wasn’t happy with his Q3 performance on Saturday, he was a few tenths short of where he would have liked to have been on the soft tyre, but his performance again on Sunday was fantastic.
He really delivered everything we could have asked for in that respect and, in another couple of laps he would have been on Charles Leclerc's tail.
What really impressed me was his race craft. It was clean but firm and extremely brave with some great overtakes around the outside of Copse being the real stand-out.
What really impressed me was his race craft. It was clean but firm and extremely brave. It is all about confidence and everyone has to remember that Alex has not got a lot of F1 experience compared to his teammate. People say F1 is not a finishing school, but in many ways it is as these drivers are constantly learning and evolving.
Max would tell you the exact same thing, it takes time to perfect everything when you are competing against the best at the top of any sport.
It is a steep learning curve, particularly when the car is a little moody on occasions but we are all working to get the best out of the car and both drivers.
Alex Albon brings the smiles at Silverstone.jpg© Vladimir Rys
NEXTUP,THESPANISHGRANDPRIX
The races are coming thick and fast and last Sunday's result gives us hope. When we were staring down the barrel of a one-second gap in qualifying to Mercedes, it was pretty demoralising.
But I think we have had a better race car than in qualifying and Max has made great use of it.
We tested in Barcelona back in February, which seems such a long time ago now. That data will be a certain reference but given the warmer conditions we expect at the weekend and the changes to the cars, it will all be significantly different.
The interesting aspect will be how hot it is going to be. Mercedes had a dominant car up until last Sunday, so it is now up to us to understand how we were able to unleash the RB16's full potential last weekend and ensure we remain in the fight. It also shows that Mercedes can be vulnerable if you put the pressure on and we need to do that on a consistent basis.
