Red Bull worry over Mercedes "bounce back"
Red Bull worry over Mercedes "bounce back"
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is under no illusion Mercedes will "bounce back" at some stage following an unheard-of run of three consecutive race defeats.
For the first time in F1's turbo-hybrid era that commenced in 2014 and after seven successive drivers' and constructors' championship successes, Mercedes is under severe pressure in its bid to retain its titles.
Two wins for Max Verstappen that have sandwiched Sergio Perez's maiden triumph have given Red Bull a 37-point advantage over Mercedes, while the Dutch driver leads Lewis Hamilton by 12 points.
Going into the race at the Paul Ricard Circuit, Horner had claimed if his team could beat Mercedes in France then it could do so anywhere.
Asked as to how he felt for the rest of the campaign following the success in France, Horner said: "We went into the race knowing it would be one of Mercedes' strong circuits, so it’s fantastic we had a big score here.
“It’s the win Max should have had two weeks ago [in Azerbaijan but for a tyre blowout] but you can see how close it is.
"There’s nothing between the two cars so we’ve just got to keep pushing, keep looking for performance and pushing all the way through.
“There’s such a long way to go in this championship and you can’t take anything for granted.”
It now appears clear, however, that in the RB16B Red Bull has a car on which it can beat Mercedes on all types of tracks after doing so on low- and high-speed street circuits, as well as more conventional medium- and high-speed venues.
But Horner is fully expecting a Mercedes resurgence at some stage.
"It is just testimony to how hard the team has worked over the last 12 months, and particularly through the pandemic," added Horner.
"When you look at the dominance their car had last year, and let’s not forget 60 per cent of the car is carryover, it’s the same chassis they were winning all of those races last year.
“So the team has done a phenomenal job and we’ve just got to keep that momentum going because Mercedes is such a strong team.
"It’s only a matter of time before they bounce back but we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
- 34 minutes ago
F1 boss HITS BACK at star driver over schedule complaints
- 1 hour ago
F1 2025 Driver Lineup: Big names on the move as half the grid reshuffles for next season
- 2 hours ago
Haas announce Hulkenberg EXIT as F1 star's new team confirmed
- Today 11:27
F1 champion claims Drive to Survive success was 'very lucky'
- Today 13:59
F1 franchise welcomes return of INCREDIBLE feature
- Today 12:59
Related news
Newey exit DATE revealed as Red Bull F1 chief set to leave
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
Red Bull already sending parts to F1 race MONTHS away
Schumacher reveals what F1 pundits are NOT allowed to say about Red Bull
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860