Christian Horner Hits Back at James Allison’s ‘Downgrade’ Comment on Red Bull

Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, didn’t hold back in his response to recent comments made by Mercedes’ Technical Director, James Allison. After Max Verstappen clinched victory at the Canadian Grand Prix, Horner took a cheeky jab at Allison, who had suggested that Red Bull’s latest car upgrade was more of a step backward than forward.

James Allison had earlier remarked that Red Bull’s upgrade package introduced at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, might have actually downgraded the car’s performance. Despite Verstappen winning that race, his margin of victory was the smallest of the season at just 0.7 seconds over McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Allison expressed hope that Red Bull’s apparent downgrade would hinder their progress, saying, “It does look as if their upgrade was a downgrade, so fingers crossed that will really fu*k them up.” Christian Horner, who is not one to back away from a little back and forth wasn’t going to let that comment slide.

Following Verstappen’s win in Canada, Horner stated, “Well, even with our downgrade, we managed to beat their upgrade. So it was a rewarding race to win”. The Canadian GP demonstrated that Red Bull remains at the top of the pecking order.

Despite not leading from the start, Verstappen maintained his composure through changing track conditions, highlighting the adaptability of the RB20. This victory reinforced that Red Bull is pretty much still the benchmark for other teams, even on tracks that don’t perfectly suit the RB20.

Can Mercedes hang on to their newfound pace?

Mercedes had reasons to be optimistic despite not winning in Canada. George Russell, who started on pole for only the second time in his career, was hopeful for a win. Although he ended up finishing third, Mercedes showed significant progress with their latest upgrade to the W15, particularly in the front wing.

However, questions remain about whether Mercedes’ improvement will persist at other tracks. The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Canada, with its heavy braking zones and slow corners, is unique. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team boss, pointed out that the true test will come at the upcoming race in Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

This track is known for its diverse conditions, including a good mix of slow, medium, and high-speed corners, and will reveal if Mercedes‘ newfound pace is consistent or just a one-off performance specific to Canada.

However, the Canadian Grand Prix has made one thing clear: there could be a four-way fight for race wins sooner rather than later. If Mercedes can maintain their form and other teams continue to improve, the rest of the 2024 season promises to be thrilling, especially after two years of dominance from Red Bull.