Horner keeps hope: "Next week it will be warmer and Mercedes will be slower"
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Christian Horner believes that Alexander Albon should not have been punished for his touch with Kevin Magnussen during the British Grand Prix. According to the 46-year-old boss, the incident could have been classified as a racing incident. Horner also discusses the situation that will arise at Silverstone next week.
"It was a racing incident in my view," said Horner to Sky Sports. The Brit doesn't entirely agree with the stewards.
"Kevin went wide on the kerbs and that was when Alex went for it. The five seconds in itself is pretty fair. Then it's just a matter of wriggling through the field again."
The fact that Albon, starting at P12, still managed to finish eighth, may appeal to Horner.
"The recovery was good. He drove a good race after that."
Circumstances become even tougher
Pirelli will take softer tyres to Silverstone next week and that means the rubber will last fewer laps than it did this week.
"Next week most teams will go for two-stoppers," he predicts. "It's getting warmer according to expectations. The Mercedes is less in such conditions. We still have some performance to find. We have to keep working hard, even if we've made a step forward."
Perhaps next weekend the focus will be on saving tyres, rather than pure racing. "That's not ideal. There's nothing more frustrating for a driver than an engineer who says you need to take it easy and go through the corners. That goes against your instincts. But that applies to everyone. It's something we have to deal with."