Horner is not certain that Red Bull’s ultra dominance will continue in the future

Red Bull has won all races except one in 2023, while Verstappen clinched his third consecutive world title. Meanwhile, the team has shifted its development towards 2024 this summer, which has sparked pessimism among rival teams about the possibility of catching up next year. However, for Christian Horner, the fall of an ultra-dominant team has already been observed.

« We saw it in 2020 with Mercedes. If you remember, it was their most dominant year ever, and yet, we were able to beat them in 2021 ».

Indeed, Mercedes dominated the 2020 season by winning 13 out of 17 races, including 11 victories for world champion Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull finished far behind with two wins for Max Verstappen but caught up in 2021, leading to one of the most memorable showdowns in the sport.

« There is a subtle change in the rule, but I think nothing remains still. We have seen competitors getting closer on different sites and I’m sure the concepts will converge,” he explains, before adding, « “I don’t think we will be able to repeat the season we had, but I hope we can learn from the RB19 and apply them to the next version, and offer a car with which we can defend the title.” »

Singapore was “a valuable lesson”

In reality, the 2024 regulations are more stable than they were between 2020 and 2021, when a rule change aimed at reducing aerodynamic downforce led to a significant overhaul of the floor design.

Verstappen won the closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of the season with a 17-second lead, a larger gap than his 11-second lead in the first race of the season in Bahrain. But Horner believes that the significant ups and downs of rival teams Ferrari and Mercedes have contributed to widening the gap.

« There have been different teams at different times. McLaren had a surge, Ferrari had a surge, Mercedes made it there at one point », he stated.

When asked if there was a hint of annoyance that the Singapore crisis prevented Red Bull from achieving a total of 22 race wins, Horner replied: “No. It humbles you to know that there is still something to strive for, and that is a valuable lesson.”

« Winning 21 out of 22 races is madness. For Max, having led over 1000 laps, winning 19 races, breaking McLaren’s 1988 record, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s 2013 record, the victory ratio. […] This car will certainly go down in history for a considerable period of time as the most titled car in Formula 1 history. »