Horner assuages Verstappen’s concerns about Red Bull F1’s competitiveness.
Red Bull CEO Christian Horner is certain that the team still has the fastest car in Formula One, despite Max Verstappen’s claim that getting caught should not be considered “normal”.
Red Bull’s dominance under the current ground effect restrictions appeared to be coming to an end as competition mounted ahead of last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen had started the season with seven consecutive pole positions, but he hadn’t been at the front of the pack in the previous four races.
Horner’s position has remained consistent: Red Bull ran a “unicorn” campaign last term, and convergence will be unavoidable if regulations are stable.
Verstappen, meanwhile, encouraged Red Bull not to get comfortable after capitalising on opponents’ failings to win in Canada and Spain, extending his championship lead.
“In general, everybody has gotten closer,” he stated during the race preparations at the Red Bull Ring. “Of course, we had a really dominant year last year, right up until the final race.
“At the moment, it’s just a little more challenging, and I believe we have to be honest about it.
“We could reply, ‘Yes, it’s typical. I don’t think this is typical. We always strive to improve, which is why I bring it up.
“I could also respond, ‘Yes, we won, so it’s okay.’ But of course, I don’t see it that way.
“In general, everybody has gotten closer,” he stated during the race preparations at the Red Bull Ring. “Of course, we had a really dominant year last year, right up until the final race.
“At the moment, it’s just a little more challenging, and I believe we have to be honest about it.
Red Bull appeared to be on track to give a frightening warning to its competitors in Austria, as Verstappen blasted to pole and then cruised to victory in the main race.
However, a slow 6.5-second pit stop put Lando Norris’ McLaren right on his heels, and a ferocious battle between the two ended in collision with seven circuits to go.
Although a win slipped away as Verstappen recovered from a puncture to finish fifth, Horner was encouraged by Red Bull’s increased competitiveness.
“I believe we had a better weekend than Barcelona here in terms of car pace and performance,” Horner added.
“You look at the quali performance, if you look at the Sprint race, the first and second stint, which are like for like tyre for tyre, I thought we were in good shape.”
Horner believes that the final stint in which Norris pressured Verstappen was not indicative, and that Red Bull had the upper hand against McLaren last weekend.
When asked if McLaren now had the legs on Red Bull, Horner replied: “Well, he completed four laps on a Soft tire that would have been good enough for pole yesterday.
He won the Sprint race handily, with an eight-second lead before we had an issue with the pit stop. I thought we’d covered them this weekend.
Horner denied that Red Bull anticipated to dominate due to its one-lap advantage, but conceded that the champions “expected to win” under “normal circumstances”.
The Briton reiterated his belief that the competition closing in on the Austrian business was inevitable rather than accelerated as a result of Red Bull’s complacency.
When asked about Norris and McLaren’s mounting challenge, he replied, “There was some close racing at the beginning of ’22, with Charles [Leclerc] and so on.”
“But maybe since, but this year, he has had to fight for every victory, or at least the last three.
“But that’s Formula One; that’s how this sport is. I believe driving off in 25-second leads is unusual.”
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