Christian Horner says 'phenomenal' Vettel could have doubled

[grigor]

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes Sebastian Vettel could have won the Abu Dhabi GP with a winning margin in excess of one minute had the World Champion been fully stretched.

The four-times title winner crossed the finishing line at the Yas Marina Circuit over thirty seconds clear of his nearest pursuer, itself a remarkable measure of superiority in a sport in which every tenth of a second used to make a difference. Not now, with Vettel driving in a different league to the rest of the grid and disappearing at a rate of a second per lap in the first half of Sunday's race before easing off.

No wonder Horner believed the victory could have been even more resounding and demoralising for Red Bull's distant competitors.

"If he was pushed he could have maybe even doubled that margin," the Red Bull chief told Sky Sports F1.

Even on an afternoon when team-mate Mark Webber enjoyed a rare trouble-free race, and the German's race engineer 'Rocky' Rocquelin repeatedly urged his driver to slow down, Vettel's speed superiority was staggering over both the Australian and the rest of the field.

"The pace he had in hand was quite remarkable," eulogised Horner in the wake of Vettel's seventh consecutive win. "The level he has reached is quite phenomenal, it's just stunning. He seems to have found a real understanding with these tyres, and a real sensitive feel for what he needs to do to extract a lap time."