“Mercedes have won over 80% races during hybrid era” – Red Bull boss Christian Horner is eager to help Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton and break Mercedes’ seven-year reign over Formula 1.
It’s the clash of the titans this season with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen breathing down each other’s neck, on and off the track.
With just two races to go, Verstappen leads the standings by just eight points, but Hamilton carries the momentum, winning the first-ever Qatar GP comfortably.
If Hamilton and Mercedes win, it will be their eight world title, allowing the former to break Michael Schumacher’s all-time record.
But this unprecedented dominance is precisely what Red Bull want to prevent, having not won a title themselves since Sebastian Vettel’s quadruple from 2010-2013.
Team principal Christian Horner admits it’ll be difficult, calling it “50-50” at this point. He is proud of what his team have done thus far this season, acknowledging Mercedes’ achievements at the same time.
“We are now just five points behind in the Constructors’ Championship and eight points ahead in the Drivers’ Championship, so we have two big races coming up and everything is still on the line.
“We are going to work hard next week and improve the car as much as possible and see what we can do in Jeddah.
“Today [Qatar GP] was a big day. I think Max’s recovery on the first lap was stunning and his first two corners were sensational. Mercedes had a faster car today with Lewis, but we were able to come back in the second and third stints.
“We didn’t get faster, but our straight-line speed was competitive today and the fact that Max set the fastest race lap before switching to softs was encouraging.
