Red Bull dominated F1 in 2023 and look set to do so again in 2024, but Christian Horner wants his team to keep their foot on the throttle.
Christian Horner has advised his squad not to become complacent as Red Bull seeks a third consecutive Constructors’ Championship win. He anticipated that Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren would offer the greatest threat to that feat the next season.
The Milton Keynes-based team dominated the 2023 season from start to end, winning 21 of the 22 Grands Prix, despite Carlos Sainz’s victory on the streets of Singapore, which stopped Red Bull from being the first team in F1 history to win every race in a season.
Max Verstappen claimed an unprecedented 19 Grand Prix victories on his way to a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship title, including ten in a row between the races in Miami and Monza, with the RB19 proving to be arguably the strongest machinery in F1 history.
When asked if there would be any alterations to the RB19 during the winter, Horner answered, “I mean nobody stands still so you know we’ve got a great basis so it’s more evolution than revolution. But I’m sure it’s going to converge a bit next year so we can’t rest on our laurels.”
When asked who he believes will be the greatest danger to Red Bull’s dominance in 2024, the Red Bull team principal responded, “They’re all great teams.” I’m talking about McLaren’s late-season form, Ferrari, and Mercedes. “I believe the big teams will come out with all guns blazing next year.”
Red Bull has a significant lead over the three teams highlighted by Horner because they have been focused solely on the RB19’s replacement since the Singapore GP in mid-September.
Despite shifting their development priority at the time, they were still able to maintain a comfortable lead over McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari by the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Verstappen won his final race of the season at the Yas Marina Circuit, winning by little under 18 seconds over second-placed Charles Leclerc.
Lewis Hamilton had similar reservations following the race. “For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds in the end when they haven’t even developed their car since August is definitely concerning,” he remarked. But we’ve learned a lot about the car, and now it’s up to the team. They understand what they must do. We shall get there, whether we like it or not. They know what they need to do. Whether or not we will get there, we will see.”
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