Force India threat is "circuit specific" - Red Bull
Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes the threat posed by Formula 1 rival Force India is "circuit specific".
Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13, Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10
Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Force India's Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon were in the hunt for a podium in the Canadian Grand Prix as they chased Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in third.
Ultimately, they finished fifth and sixth as both were overhauled by the recovering Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages.
It moved Force India onto 71 points, strengthening its grip on fourth in the constructors' championship in a year where the team has scored 12 times in 14 attempts in 2017.
Horner praised Force India's form but highlighted the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve suited Red Bull's rival.
When asked about the threat, Horner said: "I think it'll be circuit specific.
"These next two races [Azerbaijan and Austria], I'm sure Williams and Force India will be competitive. Force India were Ferrari's range today so they were very competitive on Sunday.
"You can see [Lance] Stroll [who finished ninth to score his maiden points] was competitive as well. The influence of the power unit on that kind circuit is significant so you get sometimes a slightly offset performance."
Horner conceded Red Bull will find the upcoming races in Azerbaijan and Austria given the medium to low downforce characteristics don't play to his team's strengths.
However, he took confidence from the fact Red Bull ran well in Canada, with Max Verstappen making a great start from fifth to run second and challenge for the lead before retiring with a battery failure and Ricciardo scoring a podium with third.
"The next two races will be tough for us," added Horner. "But what I'm pleased about is the performance we have brought to the car.
"We have definitely put performance on the car. Max was running a competitive second place when he retired.
"You could see in qualifying, we've got closer, particularly in Q1 and Q2 before engines get turned up in Q3. At a circuit we know exposes our weaknesses, we've come away with another podium."
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