Team principal Christian Horner explains why Red Bull is preparing for a busy end to the 2024 Formula One season, but sees light at the end of the tunnel.
Max Verstappen’s second place at the Singapore Grand Prix lifts the mood at Red Bull. Even more so, the fact that team boss Christian Horner’s team seems to be gradually getting to grips with the latest technical problems. He sees “a certain development,” emphasized Horner after the Formula 1 night race.
“I think we have understood some of the problems with the car. We are now starting to solve them,” says Horner. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku had already shown an upward trend for Red Bull, and in Singapore the team had performed “better” again.
“But there are still many long nights ahead of us in Milton Keynes. But we are all incredibly motivated. After all, we are fighting for both titles,“ says Horner. ‘Singapore put us in a bit of a rut in the constructors’ championship, but there are still race tracks to come where we have done very well in the past.”
Updates in Austin, yes or no?
Will Red Bull then be able to stand up to McLaren? “I hope so,” says Horner. “McLaren is currently the benchmark and we have some catching up to do. But we have the people and the skills to do it.”
It sounds like Red Bull wants to make technical upgrades for the upcoming US Grand Prix in Austin. According to Horner, however, “that has not yet been finalized”. In other words, it is still unclear which new parts will be used on Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s Red Bull RB20.
Reason: “We take a lot of information from the race weekends with us, and that has an influence on what happens to the car in Austin. And don’t forget: Baku and Singapore are very different from Austin, Mexico and Brazil.”
But although the most recent race tracks do not compare well with the following race tracks, Horner believes he has recognized a certain trend. Also because Verstappen and Perez had recently spoken positively about the RB20.
“It’s good when the drivers feel a difference,” says Horner. “I think we’ve found a direction. That in turn opens up new ways for you to develop the car in the future.”
“It was definitely encouraging that the car reacted as we hoped. We are now getting an idea of where our car’s limit is and what causes that limit.“
”I think Monza illustrated the underlying problem well or helped identify that problem. I therefore see Monza as the low point. From there, things will improve for us.”
What Red Bull still has planned for the 2024 season
But with what goal? Red Bull has already been knocked out of the top spot in the constructors’ championship, and the pressure on Verstappen in the Formula One drivers’ championship is growing.
“I guess the title fight will probably drag on until the end of the season,” says Horner. But he still thinks Verstappen is in a good position: ‘With six Grands Prix remaining, we are 52 points ahead. But there are still a lot of races coming up, and a lot of points are up for grabs. So we will do our best in the two triple headers.’
