Christian Horner is unrepentant about Red Bull’s extreme level of dominance in Formula 1 at present.
Since the introduction of the new aerodynamic regulations at the start of last season, the statistics make for frightening reading – 29 wins from the 34 grands prix; 22 out of the last 23, and a new F1 record of 13 in succession that shows no sign of ending.
By contrast, over the first three years of the turbo-hybrid era when Mercedes was in its pomp, it won 51 out 0f 59 races across 2014-2016; 20 out of 21 across the second half of 2015, and the first half of 2016, with its best run 10 in a row over the same period.
Gong back to Ferrari’s heyday, when the Scuderia and Michael Schumacher reigned supreme in the early ‘noughties’, in 2002 and 2004 they were particularly preeminent, winning 15 of 17 races in the former year, and 15 of 18 in the latter. The seven-time F1 champion won 12 of the first 13 in ’04 to wrap up the title after that run.
Horner has naturally waited a considerable period of time to be back in such a commanding position after Sebastian Vettel won the final nine races of 2013 to clinch his fourth drivers’ crown.
At present, Red Bull and Verstappen are making it look all too easy, even more so when compared to the end of Vettel’s era.
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Asked by Speedcafe whether the merest part of him wished for more of a challenge from any of his rivals at present, given they are tripping over themselves to be best of the rest, with a smile, he replied: “There’s not one ounce of me that wishes that!”
He added: “I’m still in recovery from 2021”, referring to the title showdown between Verstappen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton that year the Dutch driver won with a final-lap pass on the Briton, albeit in highly contentious circumstances.
Referencing Verstappen’s latest crushing victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing nearly 23 seconds ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, despite starting from sixth on the grid, Horner said: “Results like Spa, it’s the culmination of teamwork.
“That’s why I sent Greg (Reeson), the garage technician who looks after all the tyres, to go and get the constructors’ trophy because it’s about every member of the team, every department in the factory, doing their job.
“You don’t achieve these kinds of results by accident. It’s a golden moment for our team, and I take my hat off to absolutely everybody behind the scenes, everybody that’s working as hard as they are to achieve this kind of performance.”
After winning all 12 grands prix to start this season, along with the three sprints, Horner naturally concedes such a run is “beyond everybody’s wildest imagination”.
As for Verstappen, he has run out of superlatives when it comes to assessing the 25-year-old’s form.
“It’s his levels of superiority over everybody at the moment,” said Horner. “He’s been outstanding, and what we’re witnessing with Max is something you see once in a generation.”
As to what he can do in the same car compared to Perez, who was caught and passed with ease by Verstappen after leading the race for the first 17 laps following a lap-one overtake on Charles Leclerc, Horner added: “Like all the great drivers, he just has that extra capacity.
“What we’re witnessing and seeing with him at the moment is his ability to read the tyre, to read a race, to extract absolutely everything out of it, and it’s great to see. I think he’s just at the top of his form at the moment.”
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