Christian Horner admits Red Bull braced for one of their 'TOUGHEST' races

Singapore Grand Prix

Horner admits Red Bull braced for one of their 'TOUGHEST' races

The Red Bull team principal believes that this weekend could be very tight

Luis Raya

Saturday 16 September 2023 07:42

Christian Horner believes that Singapore will be one of the most difficult weekends for Red Bull, as the characteristics of the track do not suit the strengths of their car.

Red Bull arrives at the Singapore Grand Prix with hopes of securing another victory this season. So far, they have a perfect record, having won all 14 rounds contested so far, marking one of the most dominant seasons in history.

Max Verstappen broke Sebastian Vettel's record of nine consecutive victories by achieving his 10th win in a row at the recent Italian Grand Prix, and the Dutchman hopes to continue extending the record. However, Horner believes that Singapore will be one of the toughest weekends for the team, as he explained in an interview with Sky Sports F1 after the first free practice session.

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“This track is going to be one of the toughest of the season for us," he said. "I think the characteristics don’t play naturally to the strengths of the car and I think that we’re going to have to be right at the top of our game to keep this winning momentum going. You can see Ferrari look quick, McLaren look like they are there, Mercedes are there as well. It could be very very tight this weekend.

“I haven’t heard anything specific from the drivers. It seems to flow pretty well, hopefully it provides another overtaking opportunity as well. I haven’t heard anything negative from the drivers about the new layout."

The replacement of turns 16, 17, 18 and 19 by a single straight makes Singapore a much faster and shorter track, creating a potential overtaking point at the now turns 16 and 17. We'll have to wait until Sunday to see if overtaking at this point is indeed possible.

"I think maybe it would’ve been a good thing [adding more DRS], at least to get the cars bunched up a little bit more," said Horner regarding the changes. "I think if you’re in the pack, I would’ve thought that DRS would’ve been an advantage there."

Verstappen and Perez start the weekend with complaints

Indeed, both Friday sessions suggest a tightly contested Grand Prix ahead

While it's undeniable that Red Bull will be fast on Sunday, the drivers from the Austrian team haven't had the best start to the weekend, thus confirming Horner's words.

In FP1, Verstappen and Perez finished third and seventh respectively, with the Dutchman complaining about 'aggressive downshifts' and 'oversteer in every corner'. FP2 was even less positive, with Perez in seventh and Verstappen in eighth.

The current world champion was complaining about a lack of grip, while the Mexican driver was struggling with the rear, making it a very challenging session for both of them. Ferrari was the surprise, securing the top two positions in both Friday sessions at a circuit that, theoretically, doesn't suit their car very well.

McLaren and Mercedes also left positive impressions after Friday's sessions, confirming Horner's sentiments, much to the delight of the fans.