Crimson Bull’s victories in 2024 have largely been extra rewarding for staff principal Christian Horner, because of the stronger competitors the staff has confronted this yr.
Final season Crimson Bull received 21 out of twenty-two races, ending first and second within the drivers’ championship and wrapping up each titles with a number of rounds to spare. This yr has seen 4 completely different groups take victories within the opening 12 rounds — Crimson Bull profitable seven of them — and a a lot nearer combat within the constructors’ championship, with Horner (pictured above embracing winner Max Verstappen after the Japanese GP in April) admitting the wins are extra satisfying when the battles are so shut.
“After we had been profitable races by 30 or 40 seconds final yr it was barely much less demanding, but it surely’s bizarre as a result of once you’re profitable races by that margin you’re simply targeted on reliability and different parts,” Horner mentioned. “Now you don’t get an opportunity to consider reliability, as a result of it’s all about driving flat out.
“I feel it’s extra rewarding to win a hard-fought race — in fact it’s. However ’23, I feel it’s solely with hindsight that it’ll turn into a really particular yr and what was achieved, as a result of it actually was, and I maintain referring to it as a unicorn yr — they don’t exist.
“What we did final yr was by no means achieved earlier than and should by no means be achieved once more. So that is way more regular System 1 however we nonetheless have an 80-something level lead within the drivers’ championship and have prolonged our lead within the constructors.’”
Horner says the drivers are having to push to their limits always in such shut battles, with small automotive developments usually capable of make an enormous distinction this yr.
“I feel they’re all driving on the restrict,” he mentioned. “I feel there’s stuff that we’ve within the pipeline that whereas we’re on the prime of the curve, there are nonetheless features available.
“Inevitably when it closes up, it’s all the way down to the marginal tremendous particulars that make the distinction. The shape’s transferring round a bit. Mercedes had been robust [at Silverstone]. McLaren had been robust [in Austria]. We received the week earlier than in Barcelona.”
