Horner claims Red Bull dominance "more than our wildest dreams"

Christian Horner has described Red Bull and Max Verstappen's dominant position in the championship standings as "more than our wildest dreams" with nine races to go.

Verstappen holds an 80-point advantage in the drivers' championship with Red Bull leading Ferrari by 97 in the constructors'.

Speaking to GPFans ahead of Verstappen's success at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Horner assessed: “[It has been] a phenomenal first half of the year.

"Eight victories plus two sprint race victories. It's more than our wildest dreams could have been coming into the season, especially with a very competitive and rejuvenated Ferrari.

“Obviously, sitting on top of the constructors' and the drivers' at this point of the year is very healthy, but there's still a long, long way to go. There's no complacency. We're looking to build on that momentum from the first half of the year.”

Despite leading in the points tables by comfortable margins, Red Bull has oddly not been a dominant force this year, with Ferrari at least a match and arguably ahead on pure pace.

But near-perfection from the pit wall and improved reliability after three early-season disappointments have been the differentiating factors.

Asked if the inherited victories due to its rival's issues had caught Red Bull by surprise, Horner added: “Obviously, Ferrari have had some misfortune.

"We've had some misfortune earlier in the year as well. It tends to even itself out over the course of the year.

“I'm just pleased that we've managed to grab the opportunities when we've had them so far. We've had bad luck. Silverstone was a race we should have won easily. That's the way it goes sometimes.”

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