Horner: Only McLaren drivers will qualify for pole

      Following Friday's practice session in Shanghai, Max Verstappen was on the uncharacteristic 16th line of the protocol, and Liam Lawson, his new Red Bull Racing team–mate, was on the 18th. But Max didn't do a fast lap on soft tires, which explains his result. After the session, Christian Horner, the team leader, commented on the events on the Sky Sports channel.

      Christian Horner: "It's interesting to see how things will develop. The new track surface provides very good grip, and this can be seen from the results – the speeds are much higher than last year. McLaren looks very confident in one fast lap, but I think Ferrari, Mercedes and our team are also in the lead group.

      Although McLaren is still a few tenths ahead. But let's see what we can achieve by adjusting the settings – hopefully we can get a closer look.

      I don't see anyone who could claim pole in today's sprint qualifying, except for the McLaren drivers. But if we manage to break into the second starting row, then the main task in the race will be to find the right approach to working with rubber, because the front tires wear out intensively in the long turns of the Chinese track. "

      Horner also tried to support Liam Lawson, who only became a Red Bull Racing driver this year and still does not look his best against the background of Verstappen.

      "Liam Lawson is lagging behind Max, but this is his first time working on this track, and the additional difficulties are associated with the weekend's program, which includes sprints," Christian said. – If we talk about the first stage of the season, it was very difficult for Liam in Australia, but I think that first of all he should focus on the positive aspects, because, for example, he is in second place in the ranking of the best laps of that race.

      You just have to turn the page, keep working hard, ignore what's being posted on social media, and fully focus on preparing for the next race. We believe in Liam's abilities, but he just needs to be given time.

      Being Max's team–mate is a difficult task, especially since Verstappen has been driving for our team for the tenth year. At the same time, our policy is to promote young talents, so we gave Lawson the opportunity to prove himself.

      But you have to understand that Max is a phenomenally talented racer, and he has very specific preferences in terms of car setup. In order for it to be fast, he needs the front wheels to hold the track very well, but the consequences of this are that the rear of the car behaves rather unstably. Max is known for his ability to take turns on the verge of losing grip and constantly asks to shift the balance of the chassis even more forward. And we will always move in the direction set by the fastest rider.

      We are not setting any specific deadlines for Liam to adapt to, we are trying to give him time, and I think he will be able to achieve the desired level of results, but we must support him properly. He's under a lot of pressure right now, and that doesn't make his task any easier..."