Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner says his team and drivers are holding their nerves ahead of the final races of the World Championship battle.
Although Mark Webber holds an 11-point lead heading into this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, the back-to-back successes of Fernando Alonso and a fired-up Lewis Hamilton keen to make amends for his recent crashes, still mean the title chase is wide open. And while Red Bull Racing may be heading into uncharted territory in its bid to capture a first World Championship, Horner senses nothing but a calm and controlled approach from his team.
"We are focused on each race and I don't sense any nerves or any issues within the drivers or the team," said Horner. "I think we've worked hard to get ourselves into this position – and it is a remarkable story of what we have achieved in only six seasons, which people easily forget. We are not here by accident and there is a very strong desire and belief within the team."
Red Bull Racing was the dominant car in Suzuka last year, when Sebastian Vettel took an important victory to keep himself in the world title hunt. This year the RB6 is everyone's favorite for success, but Horner is keeping his ambitions in check and knows that the opposition are capable of springing a surprise.
"We have come to this race as we have every other so far this season in trying to get the best out of the weekend, the cars, the drivers and the team as we can," he said. "It is a track we went well at last year. It is a track the drivers enjoy and hopefully should suit some of the strengths of our car, but we take absolutely nothing for granted. It is important that we focus on getting the best result out of what we have this weekend."
He added: "The team has gotten stronger and stronger through the year – the way that the team is working and developments we have brought to the car, everything we have brought has worked. Strategically we have been strong, too, this year, as the last few events have demonstrated.
"We are pushing the bar. We have the fastest pit stops of the year, if you look at the season's average. And that is not through accident, it is through hard work, attention to detail and application from the guys. In every area, to win grands prix is very, very difficult but to win championships is all about the attention to detail and leaving no stone unturned."
Horner has reiterated that Red Bull Racing continues to treat both Vettel and Webber equally in their title ambitions, and says that as long as his drivers finish 1-2 he does not care in which order they are.
"The dynamics of it [the title fight] are complex when you have five drivers involved," he said. "Our strategy is quite clear – it is to try and get our two drivers ahead of all of our opponents. If we do that, then the mathematics look after themselves. Our absolute priority is to get both drivers at the front of the field."