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Horner on the Red Bull seat: 'Pierre had more potential' than Sainz

Horner on the Red Bull seat: 'Pierre had more potential' than Sainz

18-03-2019 19:05
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Christian Horner has defended his decision to promote Pierre Gasly over Carlos Sainz into the Red Bull seat left by Daniel Ricciardo. Last season Red Bull were left in a difficult position as they had an empty seat and very little top drivers to fill it. Horner believes that his team made the right decision in choosing Gasly over Sainz due to the 'potential' that they saw in him. 

Sainz was racing for Renault last season but he moved to McLaren in a quest to join the fastest midfield team. Horner stands by his decision to choose Gasly but still praises the talent of Sainz. 

"Carlos is a talented driver and I am happy to see him continue his career in F1 with McLaren. But we had the feeling that Pierre had more potential for us," said Christian Horner to f1only.fr.

"Age does not matter, although it's true that I feel old, because the age of the two pilots added up does not reach mine, whereas I am one of the youngest team bosses. "

"Max [Verstappen] has already demonstrated an excellent level of performance in the second half of the 2018 season, which is a great strength."

"Pierre, meanwhile, has a long way to go, we've promoted him after just a year at Toro Rosso, maybe a little earlier than expected, but he has the full support of the team and is very good at a multi-season experience in the junior team. "

Many believe that Gasly is too inexperienced for such a top seat but the success of Verstappen must show that younger drivers have the ability to succeed in Formula 1.