Why Red Bull team boss Christian Horner does not yet believe that winning the world title is certain, despite the large lead in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The current standings in the drivers’ standings and in the constructors’ standings for the 2023 Formula 1 season leave no doubt as to which team is the favorite to win the world title this year. But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is far from confident.
Because the development race of Formula 1 is only now really picking up speed. The upcoming Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola, for example, could show the first tendencies, says Horner.
He expects “big updates” from the opponents. “And before we make any further assessments, let’s wait and see which updates are used in Imola and in Barcelona.”
Horner sees a “decent advantage” for Red Bull
He is convinced that the competition is currently “hard at work trying to reduce the gap,” Horner continued. He promises that “in the short term” it could become much tighter at the top.
“You just can’t ever write anyone off,” says Horner. “On the other hand, we started the season better than ever and have a good car, a good team and two good drivers.”
Max Verstappen therefore speaks of a “decent advantage” for Red Bull and relates these statements primarily to the race distance. “Over a fast lap, there are definitely other cars close or even in front of us on some tracks. We saw that in Baku,” he explains.
The fact that Ferrari, for example, only has the speed to pose a threat to Red Bull for one lap is confirmed by Horner in the development work before the 2023 season. His team made “good progress” from the RB18 to the RB19.
Is Red Bull that good – or are the other teams too bad?
“It seems like the other teams have lost ground, but I guess they just underperformed compared to last year,” said Horner. He describes this scenario as “surprising”.
But that does not have to mean that Red Bull will walk to win the World Cup in the 2023 Formula 1 season.
So far too few races have been completed for this. Horner continues: “It’s still quite a long time before the matter is mathematically complete.”
On the other hand, Verstappen emphasizes: “It’s not the case that only the others use new parts and we stand still.” In other words: Red Bull will also continue to optimize its package over the course of the season. “Hopefully,” said Verstappen, “we can keep the gap constant.”