www.autoracef1.com We love Formula One

Red Bull boss: "I think there will be a premium on qualifying"

07 March 2010 @ 15:30 GMT - Max Moore The 2010 F1 season kicks off in seven days at Bahrain with the ban on refuelling the biggest change for the drivers. Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner feels there will be a premium on qualifying. "I think there will be a premium on qualifying. If you're up the front running in clean air then it's easier to look after your tyres. Obviously you're going to have to manage the race," he said. He says that the Ferraris were kind to its tyres historically, but they had problems in qualifying to heat them up. "Historically, the Ferrari has been very soft on its tyres, but then they struggle to get the most out of it in qualifying. We've arguably been the opposite of that," he said. The drivers will have to think about their race and the intelligent driver will win the race. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso said the same thing last week. "Whereas it was effectively three sprints, the driver is going to have to protect the car, and manage the tyres so that he has something left when he wants to push. A thinking and intelligent driver will come to the fore," he said.