General
Honda sees opportunities with alternative strategy for Verstappen
- Thierry Bakker
Many had expected that Red Bull Racing were able to take on Mercedes right away this year. In Barcelona there were signs that they were close, but qualifying in Austria has once again shown why Mercedes has been so dominant in recent years. With half a second on Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas took pole. Still Red Bull and Honda keep hope for a good result.
"The first qualifying session in 2020 has certainly brought some surprises. We have Max on the second row of the grid and Alex on the third, which is of course a positive result," said Toyoharu Tanabe, Honda's technical director, after qualifying. "Still, the gap towards the fastest team wasn't very small. But because Max started on the medium and our race speed looked good during the free practice sessions, we still have hope for a good race".
Veld gaat dicht bij elkaar liggen
Sister team AlphaTauri also showed good progress. "AlphaTauri has been able to improve the car, putting them on spot twelve and spot thirteen on the grid, which is also encouraging. It would be nice for the team to grab points on their debut with a new name."
According to Tanabe, the engine itself has performed well and is therefore fully ready for the race on Sunday. "Our PU worked well on all four cars so far during the weekend and we are looking forward to a good race, knowing that the field will be close together next Sunday", says Tanabe.