“How Can Helmut Know”: Christian Horner Publicly Denounces Marko’s Verdict on Red Bull’s 2024 Development

Max Verstappen lost two races in a row for the first time since 2022 following Lewis Hamilton’s British GP victory last weekend. It was a tough outing for Red Bull overall, despite the team bringing an upgraded RB20 to Silverstone. Helmut Marko remarked that the revised floor helped them gain six points of downforce but Team Principal Christian Horner went on to rubbish those claims.

Marko revealed that Red Bull had half-a-tenth’s advantage over its previous configuration, but Horner said (as per Formule1.nil) “How can Helmut know that? I don’t think the figure is right.”

Marko’s comments came after Qualifying on Saturday where Verstappen, despite having a damaged floor, managed to lift himself onto the second row of the grid behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Helmut Marko has admitted Red Bull is “losing too much” in the slow corners at Silverstone, with the RB20 “not at the level” of McLaren driver Lando Norris in British Grand Prix practice.

Norris topped both practice sessions on the opening day of action at Silverstone, leading… pic.twitter.com/U6vbnnzgu7

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In the race, however, Verstappen was not as fast as the McLaren or Mercedes drivers. His RB20 lost significant time (over five seconds) to Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and the Milton-Keynes-based team was arguably third fastest.

Red Bull needs to step up because they aren’t as dominant as they were in 2023. As admitted by Horner himself, their rivals have done a much better job at developing their cars than Red Bull has.

Christian Horner admits losing out on the developmental race to rivals

Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari have all closed the gap and an unbeatable Red Bull challenger has become a thing of the past. To add to the Austrian stable’s woes, Verstappen seems to be single-handedly carrying them, as teammate Sergio Perez remains nowhere near the top.

Horner explained that Red Bull’s performance slump was all down to their competition catching up to them. “It’s no secret that we have less development time than the others. We are at the top of the curve, so you are dealing with diminishing returns,” said the Briton.

At the halfway point in the season, Red Bull and Verstappen do hold an advantage in the Constructors’ and Driver’s standings. However, given how close the competition is, the lead is fragile, to say the least.