Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hailed the “valuable points” that came from his drivers’ sixth and eighth positions in the Chinese Grand Prix, despite the pair’s front row start.
Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who started on pole and second respectively, struggled with the changeable conditions and were passed by both McLarens, Nico Rosberg’s Mercedes, Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and Robert Kubica’s Renault.
But Horner said the team were not downhearted and that they would have won the race if it had not been for the weather.
“A far from straightforward race in very tricky conditions, and sixth and eighth is still very valuable points. It is just obviously frustrating, that with a straightforward dry race today I don’t think the opposition would have seen us,” the Englishman told Autosport.
“We know we have a fast car,” he said. “I think in conditions like in China it is not just about strategy, there is a degree of luck involved. And when you start seventh and eighth you have less to lose and more to gain.”
Horner insisted he was happy with his team’s effort, saying it was inevitable the championship would have ups and downs.
“We head back to Europe having gone to four very different venues, having had two 1-2 starts and one 1-3 start.
“So I think there is an awful lot of positives. As you saw with Ferrari here, they didn’t score big points either. So I think it is innate to the championship that there will be swings and roundabouts to it.”
