Red Bull team principal Christian Horner doubts whether his side can win the upcoming race at Silverstone despite them having won nine races in a row. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen has won six of them and has showcased his dominance across different conditions.
No matter what challenges come up against him, whether it is his rivals or it is the weather, Verstappen has showcased time and time again that he is still the man to beat. After his outstanding victory at the Austrian Grand Prix this past weekend, the Dutchman is currently on a five-race winning streak.
“it was good, but it was a little bit unfair. the tyre advantage i had, as well as the general pace advantage… but yeah, charles, he knows how to race, you could see that also last year around here.”
max’s full answer about his battle with charles pic.twitter.com/anI2C9nL1e https://t.co/ipu6KHKIbo
— clara (@leclercsletters) July 2, 2023
Even though Verstappen and Red Bull are undoubtedly in a purple patch at the moment, one race that the team has not conquered for the longest of times is the British Grand Prix. The Milton Keynes outfit has not registered a win at this venue since Mark Webber won there in 2012.
And hence, Red Bull could face their toughest challenge of the season when the teams travel to Silverstone next weekend. Since his side is still to face their most difficult test, Horner believes it is important for his team to take each race as it comes and not think about winning them all just yet.
“Who knows…“: Christian Horner unsure if Red Bull can carry on their dominance
It was just another normal day in the office for Max Verstappen as he had the perfect outing at the Austrian Grand Prix. With him having grabbed the win and the fastest lap of the race, he ensured that he took the maximum of 34 points from the race weekend, having won the sprint on Saturday.
And as Verstappen continues to dominate, an interviewer asked Christian Horner if he believed that Red Bull could go unbeaten this season. In reply, the 49-year-old highlighted all the problems that could arise and prevent them from carrying on this dominance.
He explained (as quoted by Sky Sports F1), “We can only take it one race at a time. Can we? Yes. Will we? Who knows? Reliability, weather. Silverstone next weekend is going to be epic. It’s a race we haven’t won since Mark [Webber] in 2012, so that’s a big event for us on the calendar“.
DRIVER STANDINGS 📊
Leclerc moves past Russell 📈
Verstappen extends his championship lead 👏#AustrianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/GfwFVzpvRB
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 2, 2023
When it comes to last year, Red Bull had a decent race at Silverstone but they did not seem to have enough of a package to challenge the Ferraris. This is because Carlos Sainz grabbed his maiden career win at this venue, with Sergio Perez finishing almost four seconds behind him. Meanwhile, Verstappen in the other Red Bull finished all the way down in seventh.
Even though Red Bull has somewhat struggled to keep pace with the leaders at Silverstone in the past, this year could very well be different considering their dominance so far. The Red Bull has not only been mighty quick during the qualifying sessions across venues but also has an enormous race pace. And considering this, there is no reason why they cannot win at Silverstone this year.
Can any team challenge Red Bull at Silverstone?
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff had given his thoughts about when he believes his side will be able to challenge for a win this season. In reply, he said, “Silverstone,” and explained the upgrades that they hope to bring for this venue.
If Mercedes are able to bring in strong upgrades for the British Grand Prix next weekend, they could very well challenge Red Bull for the win. Another team that could challenge the Milton Keynes outfit is Ferrari after their strong weekend in Austria. The Prancing Horse seems to have closed down the gap to Red Bull with Charles Leclerc splitting Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez on the podium.
Mercedes’ next upgrade package will be at Silverstone, says Toto Wolff of @MercedesAMGF1 . pic.twitter.com/UbOQRhK8b2
— CNBC International (@CNBCi) June 28, 2023
And last but not least, McLaren also has an outside chance of challenging Red Bull. With the team bringing in partial upgrades for Lando Norris, the Briton was able to showcase the potential of the car by finishing an outstanding fifth in the Austrian GP.
However, considering the gap that Red Bull has at the top, it is fair to say that it will take a mighty effort from any of their competitors to challenge for the win at any circuit this season.
