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Q & A with Christian Horner

After two wins from two races Christian Horner's Red Bull Racing outfit is now a genuine title contender for both championships. After the race he talked about Mark Webber's stunning victory, the escalating performance of the RB5 and the tantalising prospect of Red Bull chasing down Brawn GP for the 2009 world titles. AUTOSPORT was there to hear what he had to say

Q. A great result for the team in Germany. You're car now looks to be the best...

Christian Horner: It was a brilliant day and I am really happy for Mark Webber, after starting his career in 2002 to finally win his first grand prix is a really big moment for him. He is the first Australian since Alan Jones to triumph, so it is a great result for him, and I am very happy for him.

Q. Mark Webber looked like he had a lot of desire coming into this weekend, and showed it on several occasions too - like in Q2. Did you sense that this weekend?

CH: I sensed it at Silverstone. At Silverstone he was really on fire there, and I think for me the difference between the two of them for me was on Saturday. Sebastian nailed Silverstone in qualifying on Saturday, and Mark won the race here on Saturday.

I think that they are pushing each other really hard at the moment and they are getting the best out of each other. Mark came into the weekend with a real inner determination and real belief. He has always gone well here, and he got on with the job and was quick in every session.

After the events of the winter for Mark, could you ever have imagined such a dominant victory for him?

CH: I think lying in a hospital bed in Tasmania in November, he could never have dreamed about today. Certainly we had some concerns because he forgot to tell us that he broke his shoulder as well. So, the comeback that he has had has been remarkable - and it is testimony to his determination and commitment that he has got himself back, he has got himself fit and he is driving better than ever.

Q. When did you feel that he hit full fitness? Was he 100 percent before the season?

CH: I don't think he is still at full fitness. He cannot run. He is carrying an extra bit of ballast in his leg which Adrian [Newey] is not too happy about, but I think that he has dealt with the injury. He has very good support and it is not compromising his driving but I don't think he is certainly at the fitness level he was 12 months ago.

Q. What do you believe has changed in the balance of power now between yourselves and Brawn GP?

CH: I think we have taken 20 points in the last three weekends out of them, so I think that our car is working very well. It is working well in a multitude of conditions. Obviously their car has not suited the cooler weather of the last couple of events, whereas we have looked very strong. We have still got a big hurdle to get over to catch them, but we have made a good inroad into that this weekend as well as previously at Silverstone.

Q. So you feel that if we go to a really hot track we could be much closer still?

CH: I think that we have got a car that we should be able to fight them in all conditions. We are pushing them very hard on development. We still have performance to come to the car and it will be a really exciting second half of the season.

Budapest is usually quite warm, so we will see there. But I don't think the temperature was anything to do with today. I think the performance of the car was very good, the drivers drove brilliantly and there are no high speed corners here, so that was not a factor this weekend. So, we will see.

Q. What was your reaction to the drive-through penalty that Mark got?

CH: I thought it was firm but ultimately fair. We just had to deal with it, and Mark didn't panic. He was told he could still win the race when he was in the pitlane. It was just a matter of doing the lap times. So we weren't too concerned about it.

Q. What are your feelings about fighting for the championship now?

CH: We have taken a big haul of points of Brawn GP, and both drivers got closer in the drivers' championship as well. So, we just take each weekend as it comes and a few more weekends like this one and Silverstone we will catch them.

Q. Brawn GP is thinking of refocusing more effort onto this year's car in light of the step you have made. What is your programme now for improving the RB5?

CH: We are going to keep pushing and keep developing every race, and just treat each race as it comes. The guys in Milton Keynes are doing a brilliant job. We have managed to get a little bit of performance on the car this weekend and we will do the same in Budapest, and just keep pushing. I think we have a very good basis now. The drivers are very comfortable with the balance of the car and we understand the tyres quite well, so we are in a good place.

Q. Do you feel the momentum of the championship is now behind you?

CH: Certainly the pendulum has swung in the past few events, but I am sure it will swing again in the next few events. We are just going to take each weekend as we can, and just focus race by race and the championship will take care of itself.

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