23/11/2016
NEWS STORY
Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes his drivers could decide the outcome of the championship on Sunday afternoon.
Whatever the permutation, and there are many, in terms of how either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg will win the title on Sunday, Mercedes' biggest threat on the streets of Abu Dhabi will come from Red Bull.
Having secured the runner-up spot in the 2016 team standings, the Austrian outfit would dearly love to end a successful season with a third win.
Indeed, the title fight is of no interest to the Milton Keynes outfit as it looks ahead to the new regulations of 2017 and the possibility of hunting down the Silver Arrows.
Though a win would have no real impact on its own position and the only real temptation on offer is that of Max Verstappen leapfrogging Sebastian Vettel to take fourth in the final driver standings, the Bulls could seriously impact which way the title finally swings.
Speaking to reporters at a media event earlier today, Christian Horner said: "First of all to my drivers I'd say just go for it because it's not our championship battle.
"We could be Lewis's best friend on Sunday if we manage to get both cars ahead of Nico," he teased. "There's no point Lewis being ahead by half a lap, if he's smart he's going to back the cars up so there is racing behind him because that's the only way the result will fall his way.
"Nico has got everything to lose," he continued. "In reality a top three finish is a straightforward result for a Mercedes driver but he's probably going to be watching his mirrors harder than everybody else in the field. He's got everything at stake. Lewis's job in some ways is easier as Nico is the one with the pressure on him to close out the championship."
Of course, Horner's seen it all before first-hand.
"It's an FA Cup final for Lewis, he's just got to go for it," he said. "That was very much the scenario with Sebastian in 2010, he paid no attention to what was going on around him, he just got on with the job and drove a great race."
Recalling the race in Abu Dhabi which saw the Spaniard head to the season finale with a 15 point advantage, compared to Rosberg's 12, Horner said: "The others tightened up a bit, particularly Fernando focusing on what Mark was doing and forgetting what Seb was doing. Alonso went into that race similar to Nico just needing to finish in the top three to be world champion. Lewis still has a pretty decent chance going into this final race."