This season, Red Bull’s supremacy has diminished even if Max Verstappen remains first in the drivers’ standings.
Despite the opinions of team principal Christian Horner, Max Verstappen has made it clear to the other drivers in Formula One that he is willing to battle to keep Red Bull at the top. With seven Grand Prix victories this season, the Dutchman leads Lando Norris by 84 points in the standings.
But there’s no denying that since the new rules were implemented in 2022, the dominance that has come to represent both the driver and the team is coming under pressure.
Recent weeks have seen McLaren, and particularly Norris, challenge Red Bull for speed; Mercedes and Ferrari also seem to have closed the gap.
In fact, Lewis Hamilton won the race at Silverstone last weekend—his first victory since the December 2021 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Furthermore, Horner had acknowledged before the British race that he believed rivals were reestablishing parity this year.
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Red Bull star Max Verstappen flashes his fangs and says he “refuses to believe Christian Horner.”
This season, Red Bull’s supremacy has diminished even if Max Verstappen remains first in the drivers’ standings.
By Frazier Watson
14:12 on Saturday, July 13, 2024 | UPDATED: July 13, 2024, 14:12BOOKMARK
Practice for the F1 Grand Prix of Japan
Verstappen and Christian Horner. (Photo courtesy of Getty)
The remainder of the Formula One grid has received word from Max Verstappen that he is willing to battle to keep Red Bull on
But Verstappen doesn’t seem to be buying it. Additionally, he has encouraged his team to keep improving their RB20 car and has shattered the idea that they should be content to wait for their competitors to catch up.
“I refuse to believe that, because then you just get lazy,” he said in response to a question about whether other teams and drivers had caught up. Although I have no doubt that everyone in the factory puts in a lot of effort to increase the car’s power, I also know that many intelligent individuals on rival teams follow suit.”
In fact, the 26-year-old is still on track to win the championship four times in a row. In the constructors’ championship, his team leads by 71 points and has won three straight times.
In light of rumors regarding the star’s long-term future, Horner and company are probably going to like what he has to say. The driver has been evasive about the possibility of leaving Red Bull amid the internal conflict that has beset the company this year, even though his contract is set to expire in 2028.
Horner’s father, Jos, has been critical of him on multiple occasions following claims that he acted inappropriately toward a female coworker. Additionally, it has been alleged that the Englishman and team advisor Helmut Marko are at odds over authority.
