Horner saw strange tactics Ferrari: 'They just didn't do that'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
It was Ferrari's ultimate move in the closing stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Sergio Perez was allowed to pass Charles Leclerc, hoping the Red Bull Racing Mexican would grab a five-second margin over George Russell. In that case, Mercedes' Brit would finish next to the podium and Ferrari would finish second in the battle for the constructors' title.
It was not to be: Perez eventually came up 1.1 seconds short, to erase his five-second time penalty. Christian Horner understood that Leclerc let Perez pass, but was at the same time surprised: "It was a logical thing to do from Ferrari's position. The problem is only half did the job because they let Checo through but then didn't [hold up George]."
A new neighbour for Red Bull
"I think as Checo has demonstrated in that sector of the circuit, you can hold up quite a bit of time there. So I think Charles needed to hold off George a little more to get that extra second. But it just means we've got a different neighbour next year.," Horner laughed
Finally, the order in the pit lane is determined by the final results among the constructors. In 2022, Ferrari finished second behind Red Bull Racing, so the Italians could be found one door down from the Austrians in '23. Next season, Mercedes will be situated next to Red Bull.