“It’s Gonna Be a Tough Race”: Christian Horner Warns About Blistering McLaren and Ferrari Pace That Can Further Irk Red Bull on Sunday

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez had a disastrous Qualifying session on Saturday. The #11 driver was knocked out in Q2 and he will start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from all the way back in P11. When asked about his driver’s chances of getting to the podium in the main GP, Horner pragmatically refused to be optimistic.

Speaking to Formula 1 after the session, Horner explained, “A podium is a long way from that grid place, particularly with very fast McLarens and Ferraris. So, it’s gonna be a tough race tomorrow and we are going to have to be very much at the top of our game.”

Those kerbs at the chicane bite, as Checo found out

Taming the Varinate Alta corners will be key during qualifying #F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/kkE4NtMMUP

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2024

Red Bull, who dominated last season by winning 21 out of 22 races, had a very difficult Friday at the Imola circuit. Both Perez and Max Verstappen were suffering with balance issues. The Dutchman even ran off the road on multiple occasions during the Practice Sessions. This prompted them to make certain setup changes for Qualifying.

Despite Perez’s Q2 exit, Verstappen fared substantially better during the session. The #1 driver snatched pole from McLaren and Ferrari. That being said, he needed the help of Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg, who gave him the tow on the straight. And even with that, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was less than a tenth behind him.

Piastri’s teammate, Lando Norris, was also within a tenth of Verstappen’s pole effort. This puts McLaren in an ideal position to attack Verstappen and go for their second successive win since 2012. Things could get even more difficult for the Dutchman as his teammate, Perez, will not be in close proximity to him to cover McLaren’s charge.

Emilia Romagna GP could dictate Red Bull’s fate this season

In the past, Red Bull have dropped the ball on occasion. However, every time they lost, they have come back stronger. Last year when Verstappen lost out to Carlos Sainz at the 2023 Singapore GP, he came back at Suzuka and won by a staggering 19+ seconds lead.

This time, after their Miami GP defeat to McLaren, Red Bull don’t seem to have recovered as well as they did in the past. There is a feeling in the paddock that the likes of McLaren and Ferrari have managed to drastically curtail Red Bull’s advantage.

While the Miami GP was the drawing of the first blood, a good result for McLaren here at Imola could confirm this theory. That said, despite their struggles on Friday, the setup changes that Red Bull made overnight seems to have made the RB20 more driveable.

Verstappen’s pace during Qualifying also shows that the team have an advantage over their rivals, albeit small. This sets up Sunday’s race as a season-defining Grand Prix for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.