Red Bull ensures not to sacrifice the 2022 car

This year, Red Bull seems to want to do everything to become world champion. To do this, the Austrian team continues to bring new parts to the RB16B weekend after weekend. Max Verstappen’s team seems to be more focused on the development of the 2021 car than Mercedes, which should receive its final aerodynamic package at Silverstone.

Currently, Red Bull’s choice to continue developing this season’s single-seater seems to be paying off, as the Verstappen-Perez duo has achieved 5 consecutive victories. While a new regulation with a budget cap will be introduced in 2022, doubts are being raised about the competitiveness of next year’s Red Bull. Faced with concerns from some, Christian Horner, the team principal of the Austrian team, aims to reassure.

« We must go there week after week, race after race, and I believe the team is doing an excellent job balancing the challenges between this year and next year. There is nothing new. It is talked about a lot at the moment, but we have experienced major regulatory changes in the past, so we need to balance resources and devote them to what needs them most. The team is working incredibly hard, extremely well and efficiently, he says.

While Red Bull is on a very good momentum, reminiscent of the period of the team’s dominance when Sebastian Vettel had achieved 9 consecutive successes in 2013, Christian Horner expects a greater challenge at Silverstone and is less confident.

It’s a shame that there aren’t more races in Austria, as we now go to a circuit that has truly been a stronghold for Mercedes over the past seven years. There are also different challenges with the introduction of the sprint race and a new weekend format. Mercedes has been extremely strong there in recent years. And Lewis [Hamilton] will be supported at home. So we expect a great challenge,” he explains.

« We know that it’s a Mercedes stronghold. It will be fascinating to see if we can maintain this momentum for what will be our next home race. I believe we have found a good operating window with the car in the last few Grand Prix races, and I hope we can work within that same window at Silverstone.

Red Bull wants to avoid making the same choice as BMW, which had decided to give up on its chances of winning in 2008 to focus on the transition to the following year. With the outcome that we know…