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F1 Mexican GP: Horner: Ricciardo surge shows Red Bull catching Mercedes

Red Bull chief Christian Horner says Daniel Ricciardo's resurgence in 2016 along with his partnership with Max Verstappen is enabling his team to reel in Mercedes.

Ricciardo has secured third place in the F1 drivers' championship this year after the reshuffled order in the final results in Mexico as Sebastian Vettel's and Max Verstappen's post-race penalties giving the Australian his eighth rostrum finish of the year.

With Red Bull the only team to topple Mercedes in 2016, with Verstappen's historic victory in Spain followed up by Ricciardo's win in Malaysia, Horner is confident his team is catching Mercedes thanks to improved car performance and has heaped praise on his potent driver combination.

"It's great news that Daniel's wrapped up third, we've extended our lead in the constructors' by nine points so I believe we're now 62 points ahead," Horner said. "Daniel's had an excellent season, the combination of him and Max have been driving brilliantly well so we're looking forward to the final two races.

"It's really encouraging to see that we're getting closer and closer to Mercedes. For Max to be able to have a go at Nico in Mexico, having tailed him all the way through the race, is really good news.

"We're chipping away, chipping away and you're not seeing the margins that Mercedes had in previous years, which bodes well not just for this year but I think for a more competitive Formula One in 2017."

If Red Bull can avoid conceding 19 points to Ferrari in the F1 world constructors' championship at the Brazilian Grand Prix the Milton Keynes-based squad can seal the runner-up spot with a round to spare.

Zdroj: crash.net