"You can sniff petrol the whole weekend" - Red Bull looking forward to 'amazing' 2022 F1 Australian GP

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is exalted to return to the Australian GP venue. The Briton believes the event in Melbourne will always have a vibrant atmosphere and they are happy to be back Down Under after a two-year hiatus.

Elated at the sport’s return to Albert Park, Horner said:

“Yeah, I mean, somebody told me it was over 1100 days since we last ran a car here before yesterday. And it's been a long time. Obviously, when we came here in 2020 It was briefly and we didn't do anything. So you know, the fans here love sports and it's great to see.”

Returning to Australia after 2020 when the event was canceled, the drivers will be racing at the Albert Park circuit for the first time in three years after 2019 Australian GP. The 2022 edition of the race is expected to be a sellout, according to circuit authorities with a record audience for the event.

Describing the vibrant atmosphere, the Red Bull CEO said:

“I think there's a record crowd here this weekend. The reception that they give all the teams is remarkable and it's a great atmosphere … It's a great event. There's wall to wall action. You can sniff petrol the whole weekend. And it's an amazing event.”

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Red Bull boss believes they will be better in the race

Speaking in a team review after the qualifying session, Christian Horner revealed that both drivers were able to clinch pole but were unable to deliver. Summarizing the team’s performance, the Briton believes the team is capable of performing better in the race.

Describing the overall performance on Saturday, Horner said:

“That was a great performance by both our drivers. At certain points they both looked like they may be able to steal pole, but Charles put in a great lap and it was just out of reach for us, but we’ll come back and try to beat them tomorrow."

"Max’s lock up cost him about three-tenths and Checo had a small d-rate on his first lap and carried an extra tenth of fuel as well, because he wanted to do three laps, but we are still on the front row and P3, so we’ll take that. I still think under higher fuel we will be in better shape, and with these DRS zones it could be a really interesting race.”

While Charles Leclerc clinched pole, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez qualified second and third. Historically, it has been very difficult to convert a pole position into a race win on the Albert Park circuit.

Hence, a second and third-place grid start might be a boon for the Red Bull drivers. However, Horner feels the changes to the circuit and DRS zones will make the race interesting.