Christian Horner discusses Yuki Tsunoda’s F1 future, Isack Hadjar’s potential, and the technical directive’s effect on Red Bull’s Spanish GP pace.
The new technical directive concerning the front wing is the main talking point in the Barcelona paddock.
Most teams have had to alter their front wings… but contrary to Red Bull’s expectations, McLaren F1 appears largely unaffected, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri topping both free practice sessions.
Subtle But Significant Shift
On Red Bull’s side, Max Verstappen also seems to be performing at his usual level. So, did the drivers not notice any major changes this Friday?
Christian Horner provided some technical insight from Red Bull’s perspective, referring to feedback from Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda.
“Well, the drivers were making the usual comments about understeer, front-end grip, etc. So the change is reasonably subtle, but it’s reasonably significant.”
“Now, whether it has the same net effect on each team is hard to say, but yes, they were just working to find a balance.”
“It’s incredibly hot out there, and the tyres are under a lot of stress. Especially now that we’re back to the old circuit layout. The front-left is really taking a beating here.”
McLaren Now The Benchmark
“So, it will take more than a day to see if there’s an impact. And if so, how it has affected the different cars.”
Is the Red Bull harder to drive as a result of this change?
“Again, it’s hard to say. Based on the drivers’ feedback, it didn’t feel too different from a normal Friday.”
“Sure, it’s different, and there’s a lot to understand. And it’s probably on the long runs as well as the short runs where it will play a role here.”
“It’s still early days, but the net effect for us has been quite low.”
If Max Verstappen wins this Sunday, it will be his fourth consecutive Spanish Grand Prix victory. But after finishing fourth in Monaco, the Dutchman is not the favorite… and Christian Horner is quite happy to shift the pressure onto McLaren F1.
“You have to say McLaren will be the favorite here this weekend. They’ve looked incredibly strong throughout the early races.”
“We take a lot of hope from the race we had in Imola, where we had great pace and managed to win. But with these temperatures, they’re going to be super competitive.”
“Now, whether it will be Lando or Oscar is hard to say. But for us, what’s crucial is that we absolutely try to take points off them this weekend.”
“Yes, we’re roughly a third of the way into the championship with a long way to go, but we need to start chipping away at their points lead.”
Red Bull Eyes Key Momentum
“Make sure we stay in touch. And to beat them, we have to start taking points. Imola was strong for us. Monaco was not a strong race for us.”
“That’s the car to beat. They’ve got two strong drivers, and the car is performing very well.”
“So it’s up to us to bring improvements and extract performance from the car during this summer phase of the championship, and make sure we stick with them before the summer break to try and generate a bit of momentum.”
Barcelona is often seen as a barometer for a car’s performance over a full season. That’s slightly less true now with the rise of street circuits, but the Circuit de Catalunya remains a benchmark, Christian Horner confirms.
“Barcelona is a real test – high speed, medium speed, not so much low speed with these F1 cars.”
“But if you’ve got a chassis that works well, you’ll see it here, especially with the variety of corners and how hard the car is on tyres. That’s going to play a key role in Sunday’s race.”
Hadjar, a potential Red Bull option for next year?
Christian Horner was also asked about the driver pairing Red Bull could field next year.
Max Verstappen still hasn’t confirmed he won’t leave for Aston Martin F1 or Mercedes F1… while Yuki Tsunoda’s future remains uncertain. Isack Hadjar could be an ideal replacement next year, given his performances.
Horner Backs Tsunoda’s Growth
So, what will Christian Horner decide? Unsurprisingly, he didn’t give much away this Friday! He simply wants to give Tsunoda more time.
“Isack’s had a great start in F1. He’s going to be a good Red Bull driver in the future. But I’ll take a leaf out of Flavio’s book and say, ‘I don’t want to comment’ for 2026.”
“Look, it’s still early for Yuki. He’s still settling in. He made Q3, he’s scored points, he even scored points from the pit lane.”
“He’s had a few incidents too, so he’s still got a way to go. We’ll make a decision. We’ve got plenty of time on our side.”
Yuki Tsunoda’s performances aren’t as dismal as Liam Lawson’s, but the Japanese driver remains a long way off Max Verstappen… What does Christian Horner think Red Bull can do to truly support their second driver?
“The only thing we can do is give him time and support, and try to find set-ups he feels confident with.”
“Driving these cars is all about confidence, and that’s what he needs to find. I think he’ll get there. He’s quick. He just needs to put it all together.”
“We continue to see flashes of performance. We just need to see him bring it all together. I think he can do it.”
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