Crimson Bull’s victories in 2024 have largely been extra rewarding for group principal Christian Horner, because of the stronger competitors the group has confronted this yr.
Final season Crimson Bull gained 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 totally different groups take victories within the opening 12 rounds — Crimson Bull profitable seven of them — and a a lot nearer struggle 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.
“Once we have been profitable races by 30 or 40 seconds final yr it was barely much less worrying, but it surely’s bizarre as a result of whenever you’re profitable races by that margin you’re simply centered on reliability and different parts,” Horner stated. “Now you don’t get an opportunity to consider reliability, as a result of it’s all about driving flat out.
“I believe it’s extra rewarding to win a hard-fought race — after all it’s. However ’23, I believe it’s solely with hindsight that it’s going to turn out to be a really particular yr and what was achieved, as a result of it actually was, and I hold 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 automobile developments usually capable of make an enormous distinction this yr.
“I believe they’re all driving on the restrict,” he stated. “I believe there’s stuff that we now have within the pipeline that whereas we’re on the high of the curve, there are nonetheless good points available.
“Inevitably when it closes up, it’s all the way down to the marginal high-quality particulars that make the distinction. The shape’s shifting round a bit. Mercedes have been robust [at Silverstone]. McLaren have been robust [in Austria]. We gained the week earlier than in Barcelona.”
