Red Bull F1 team chief Christian Horner is convinced that his team will be stronger in Barcelona than they have been so far this season, and played down speculation that his drivers are frustrated by their inability to challenge the pace setters with the car they currently have at their disposal.
Horner told Speedweek, “The new regulations are still very immature, we will certainly be stronger in Spain. It is obvious that Ferrari and Mercedes have so far been better than us. We tried to limit the damage. But [in Spain] we will have a bigger chance to challenge the two teams on the front.”
Those teams are Ferrari and Mercedes who have two wins each, from four, ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix. There is very little to separate the two teams and it is clear that the dominance that Mercedes has enjoyed over the past three years has been cut by Ferrari.
Horner sees the positives in the current scenario, “What has happened is great for the sport. Formula 1 has a new winner with Valtteri Bottas. We have now seen four races and none of them could we predict the winning driver beforehand with any certainty. Three winners in four Grands Prix and so it can go on.”
Meanwhile Red Bull drivers have had little say at the sharp end and there are reports that Daniel Ricciardo is becoming increasingly disillusioned with prospects for 2017 after declaring preseason that: “This will be my year.”
Horner played down the suggestion, “I can not see a difference between the Ricciardo from the spring of 2017 and the Daniel I know from past years. He is very ambitious, he wants to be competitive. But he does not moan. The 2015 season was much more frustrating for him.”
Max Verstappen returns to the scene of his great debut victory last year, but as the form book stood after Sochi it is unlikely that the teenage prodigy will be able to repeat the feat.
Horner said, “I’m still in awe that he’s only 19 years old. I am constantly amazed by his development. He is constantly learning, and it is exciting to witness this process. I remain convinced that we have the most exciting driver pairing in the field.”
Although the much awaited upgrade to Renault’s power unit is not set to arrive until Canada, Red Bull will arrive in Barcelona with a host of Adrian Newey penned upgrades for the RB13, on which the team’s hopes lie in the short-term.
Big Question: Will Red Bull be in the mix at the front in Barcelona?
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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