We're closer to Mercedes than we thought - Horner

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Red Bull Racing locked out the second row of tomorrow's German GP, and team boss Christian Horner commended the performance of both his drivers while also impressed with the small margin with Mercedes.

Daniel Ricciardo edged out Max Verstappen and the two will be looking to tackled the dominant Silvers Arrows duo of Hamilton and Rosberg with consistent pace and perhaps some creative tyre strategies.

"Both of our guys have done a great job today, and we're actually surprised at the margin to Mercedes, we're actually closer than we thought we would be," Horner told Sky Sports.

"Looking at our race run yesterday, that's real encouragement for tomorrow. We've got a slightly different tyre strategy available to us, so we'll see."

With Mercedes remaining ahead at a fair distance, Red Bull appears to have the upper hand over rival Ferrari.

But according to Horner and in view of the anticipated tyre strategies which shall most probably be put into play, the Scuderia will once again offer its opposition to Red Bull.

"Compared to Ferrari, it looks like they are going to on the Supersoft-Soft-Soft whereas we have another route to go.

"Mercedes have got the luxury up picking their route because of what they qualified on in the first session but our race tomorrow is primarily going to be with Ferrari."

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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.