Christian Horner anticipates an intense 2025 F1 season as top teams converge. Red Bull closes 2024 strong, but challenges loom.
Last week in Qatar, Max Verstappen secured his first dry-weather victory since the Spanish Grand Prix in June—an eternity by the standards of the now four-time Formula 1 world champion.
While the Austrian team has clearly been outperformed in terms of pure pace by other teams since the end of the first third of the championship, team principal Christian Horner admitted in Abu Dhabi that this victory was a relief for them.
“It’s an excellent result. Max drove a magnificent race last weekend, keeping control of the situation. We managed to adjust the car to give him a better F1 for qualifying and to use in the Grand Prix. And we’ve seen flashes of performance emerge in recent races, particularly in Brazil during the dry Sprint race. We’re beginning to understand the car better. In Austin, Max also won the Sprint. That was great to see. It was a tough race, but it was a solid victory.”
Red Bull thus seems to have found the right path with its RB20. Does Horner see this as a good sign for this weekend’s final race of the year? And more importantly, for 2025?
“The circuit is different, so the challenges are too. But I hope we’ve taken a certain direction with the car now. We’ve got nothing to lose this weekend. The pressure is on other teams. We see it as a cup final, really, and we’re aiming to finish the season on a very positive note.”
“The regulations are obviously stable for next year. So, I think 2025 promises to be a fantastic championship. When you consider the convergence we’ve seen this year and the tight margins between the top four teams, next year’s championship is set to be thrilling. The season will also be very long. It will be fascinating to see the progress made over the winter before arriving in Bahrain in a few months.”
Verstappen must now be compared to drivers like Schumacher or Senna.
While everything is going well for Verstappen, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated for Sergio Perez, who remains in difficulty and, according to the latest rumors, is more than ever on the verge of being replaced.
The Mexican driver defended his record by highlighting that he is competing against arguably the best Formula 1 driver today in Max Verstappen, making it challenging for any young driver to take on the role of teammate to the Dutchman. So, according to Horner, what must one do to try to compete with the dominant figure in the sport?
“Being Max’s teammate is probably the toughest job in Formula 1, because he sets the bar very, very high. His performances are relentless. Anyone sitting alongside him must therefore demonstrate great strength of character and be able to work within the team, focus on themselves, and, to some extent, ignore what’s happening in the other car, because that’s where, mentally, things become incredibly challenging, as we’ve seen with many great drivers. I’m sure that working alongside Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna was just as difficult. Max is now part of that elite. It’s as simple as that.”
While the FIA has recently been at the center of attention with significant internal turmoil, its president Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated that drivers should focus on their jobs and leave it to the governing body to establish the rules of Formula 1. Christian Horner shares this view.
“He’s absolutely right. I mean, it’s the FIA’s role as the sport’s regulator to draft and enforce the regulations. When you enter the championship at the beginning of the year, you sign up to abide by those regulations. It’s not the teams’ job to write the rules, nor should it be, because there would be too many conflicts of interest regarding the intent behind those regulations. So, he’s absolutely right that it’s up to the FIA to control and govern the sport.”
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Red Bull Ends Strong – 2025 Shapes Up as Fierce Contest Red Bull Ends Strong – 2025 Shapes Up as Fierce Contest
