Christian Horner believes the close qualifying sessions at the Circuit of the Americas are a sign of things to come for next season. Red Bull has been dominant for much of the current campaign but has faced a challenge from rivals during the United States Grand Prix weekend. The Milton Keynes-based squad could only manage sixth and ninth with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez during Friday's qualifying session. During Saturday's Sprint Qualifying, Verstappen took pole position - however, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton both lapped within a tenth of a second of the two-time World Champion. Red Bull has been defeated just once so far this year when Ferrari secured victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.
A lot more intensity
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner has stated that Red Bull has a fight on its hands for the remainder of the weekend in the US but also asserted that it is a sign that the pecking order will be closer next season. “It definitely makes it a lot tighter,” he said. “It definitely makes those margins and you have to rely on your data a lot more. “So the amount of simulations you're running in a race, there's a lot more intensity on that. “But it's going to happen. When you have stable regulations, the cars and the teams will converge. “I think this is a precursor to what we'll see next year where it's a much tighter field.”
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