Christian Horner ‘happy’ with Red Bull qualifying despite Charles Leclerc pole at Australian Grand Prix

The Red Bull team principal believes Ferrari could have problems in the race in Australia tomorrow

Christian Horner still believes Red Bull can win in Australia. (Getty Images)

Team principal Christian Horner is upbeat about Red Bull’s chances of winning the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, and says he is “happy” with second and third on the grid despite Charles Leclerc taking pole position for Ferrari.

Max Verstappen will line up just behind the Monegasque on the grid, ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez in second. Red Bull will have a strategic advantage over Ferrari in the race due to Carlos Sainz qualifying a lowly ninth after suffering from a starter problem in Q3.

Red Bull and Ferrari are the two frontrunners at the beginning of the campaign, with both teams having managed the transition to Formula 1’s new era of car design successfully, after the biggest regulation change in a generation. Ferrari lead the championship, though, thanks to the double retirement Red Bull suffered late on in the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Milton Keynes-based squad are aiming to reduce the deficit this weekend and Horner is content with his drivers’ starting positions.

“I’m still pretty happy with that, second and third on the grid,” Horner told Sky Sports F1. “For Max that lock up cost him about three tenths which would have put him closer to Charles. It was great lap by him but we’re still on the front row.

Horner is also optimistic that Ferrari could struggle in the race due to porpoising, the name given for the intense bouncing the new generations of F1 cars suffer from at high speeds on long straights.

The Ferraris seemed to struggle with that problem more than the Red Bull, with Leclerc’s head ricocheting wildly on the track’s longest straight, which could cause issues in the race.

“It looks like [the Ferraris] will have a bit of a headache with all that bouncing,” Horner added. “What we don’t know, because the long runs weren’t long enough, is whether that is going to have an effect on degradation. But we’re very confident we can race them and see what happens.”

The Australian Grand Prix will begin on Sunday 10 April at 6am in the UK.