Horner hails 'mighty' qualifying lap by Ricciardo

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Red Bull boss Christian Horner praised Daniel Ricciardo for a his immaculate and impressive driving in qualifying for tomorrow's Monaco Grand Prix.

Ricciardo headed a thrilling Q3 session, just edging out Nico Rosberg by 0.169s. But to do so the Australian pulled out all the stops and put together a thrilling lap, and achieving his very first pole position while putting Red Bull on pole for the first time since the 2013 Brazilian GP.

"It was an amazing performance," Horner told Sky Sports.

"I mean that first lap, a 1m13.6s, mighty. We could see in Q2 when we took the supersofts, the harder of the two tyres, we took a bit of a gamble with that. But we felt it was worth a go.

“And then his first lap in Q3 was just dynamite. To be in the 1m13s around here, wow.

While pundits were expecting a good performance from Red Bull, most still had their money on Mercedes turning it up and clinching pole. But it just did not happen.

"He’s been driving beautifully all weekend. You’ve only got to look at the last sector, how clean he has been driving the car, and the lap times just roll together for him.

"So a great moment for him his first pole position, and our first since 2013, so a great start to the weekend."

But the real nail in Ricciardo's rivals' coffin may turn out to be the fact that the Aussia will start tomorrow's race on super-soft tyres, rather than the ultra-soft favoured by his opponents.

Horner admitted the strategic choice will give Ricciardo a bit more flexibility in tomorrow's race.

"We felt the supersoft has a bit more range. We thought if we can get on that tyre, it certainly gives you more strategic options. We gave it ago and it paid off.

"But of course all that goes out the window if it rains tomorrow."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.