Christian Horner Unfazed With Rising Lewis Hamilton Threat as Red Bull Prepares to Bolster Its Edge

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner took a massive dig at arch-rivals Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton after Max Verstappen completed the grand slam at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. The 49-year-old explained how the Briton finished 23 seconds behind the Dutchman despite the Silver Arrows bringing upgrades this weekend.

Mercedes produced an incredible result this weekend as they grabbed their first double podium of the season. However, this was insufficient for them to stop the flying Red Bulls.

With Verstappen winning and Sergio Perez grabbing fourth, Red Bull again outscored Mercedes this weekend. Red Bull scored 38 points, while Mercedes scored 33.

“They are still 23s behind“: Christian Horner on Mercedes

While speaking in his post-race interview about Mercedes’ upgrades, Christian Horner told Sky Sports F1, “They are still 23s behind at the end of the race. They have made a good step. But, you know, we have got some stuff in the pipeline. They have had a big upgrade. We have got some bits coming later into the season“.

“They were still 23 seconds behind at the end of the race”

Christian Horner on Mercedes upgrades 👀 pic.twitter.com/ok3oP8wGEU

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 4, 2023

If the Milton Keynes outfit has such a strong pace without bringing any upgrades, it suggests how much stronger they can get ahead into the season. The news does not bode well for other teams, who have been way off the pace set by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman throws down the gauntlet each week by moving from strength to strength. Now it will be interesting to see if the rival teams have what it takes to challenge Red Bull and Verstappen in Canada in two weeks.

“George managed to get away“: Horner is unhappy with Russell not receiving a penalty

Even though George Russell drove an outstanding race to finish third after starting twelfth on the grid, Christian Horner believes that the Briton got lucky. While speaking to Sky Sports F1, the Red Bull team principal said, “George managed to get away with running off track, not getting a penalty.”

Horner was unhappy as Russell seemingly gained an advantage by running off the track on the first lap of the race. The incident also got the eye of the commentators, who suggested that the 25-year-old could be in danger. However, to Russell and Mercedes’ luck, he escaped with no further action taken from the stewards.

Had Russell gotten any penalty, it would have promoted Sergio Perez to third from fourth. The Mexican had a fantastic race, but he missed the podium by less than three seconds after starting eleventh on the grid.