Red Bull team boss Christian Horner wants to dominate Formula One in the coming years, and thus inflict pain on arch-rival Mercedes led by Toto Wolff. Last season, Max Verstappen broke years of Mercedes dominance to become the first world champion since Sebastian Vettel in 2013, also in the Red Bull, not to have sat in a Silver Arrow.
2021 was also one of the most competitive and controversial seasons in Formula One history, the Dutchman and Lewis Hamilton had legendary fights on and off the track.
But not only the two drivers, but also their team bosses: Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Toto Wolff (Mercedes) did everything possible to strengthen their racing team and weaken the competition. Neither even shied away from mind games.
Horner wants to “inflict a lot of pain on Toto”
Every fan will remember the controversial season finale in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton, who was sure of victory, bitterly lost the drivers’ title to Verstappen on the very last lap after the FIA interpreted the safety car rules which advantaged Red Bull.
In 2022, Red Bull further extended its dominance. With twelve wins from 16 Grand Prix, the Austrian racing team is almost as dominant as in Vettel’s best days, when the Heppenheim driver became world champion four times in a row between 2010 and 2013.
Rival Mercedes, on the other hand, has yet to win a single race.
Asked if Max Verstappen and Red Bull will continue to dominate Formula One in the coming years, Horner replied: “I can only wish to inflict so much pain on Toto over the next eight years, but that’s very unlikely.”
“We’ve had a wonderful, wonderful year so far but there’s still a long way to go. Ferrari are fast, Mercedes are sorting themselves out and you have to keep looking forward and all the lessons we are learning now have to apply to next year,” said Horner.
“I think the whole team is at such a high level this year. We have the fastest race car and generally incredible pace. But we still have some challenges ahead of us in Singapore and so on. The championship looks good, but it’s never over until it’s really over.”
Theoretically, Verstappen could become world champion again at the next race in Singapore on 2 October. That would usher in a new era for the 24-year-old, much to the annoyance of Mercedes.
Red Bull will now dominate F1
Despite Christian Horners’ somewhat cautious statement regarding the future dominance of F1 by the team. TJ13 understands that the current iteration of Red Bull car is “only at 10% of development”, which could mean continuous victories for Max Verstappen in the seasons to come. More on that later so be sure to check back on this website for an exclusive by accepting browser or email notifications.
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