“Mercedes not comfortable being beaten by an energy drinks manufacturer”– Red Bull boss Christian Horner on Mercedes competing against him

Red Bull boss Christian Horner makes dig at rivals; claims Mercedes is not ready to lose against an “energy drink” company.

Red Bull and Mercedes are at a standoff for the drivers’ championship ahead of the final race of the 2021 season. This year, the two title protagonists are equal on points, with only Abu Dhabi GP becoming the point of their separation.

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Talking about the final race, Horner claims that Mercedes is unwilling to lose this battle against an “energy drink company” while an automobile giant.

“If you think of the size of Mercedes globally, they must be one of the biggest automotive companies in the world,” said Horner. “The power that they wield with media around the world, I think we pale into insignificance in comparison.”

“As Lewis Hamilton indeed called us, we’re just an energy drinks company going racing. “I think that Mercedes, and the Mercedes Formula 1 team, they’ve become a machine the last seven or eight years during their period of dominance, and they obviously have the weight and power of the parent company behind them.”

“I can’t believe it’s particularly comfortable being beaten by an energy drinks manufacturer as a major OEM. You’re never sat comfortably. We know that it’s been made quite clear to us.”

“But we’re a team of racers, we’re going racing, we’ve got a phenomenal driver who has driven his heart out this year.”

Red Bull set to dethrone Mercedes

Mercedes already are on a 28-point lead against Mercedes in the constructors’ championship. But the drivers’ championship is where both team bosses Toto Wolff and Horner believe true prestige is.

Since 2014, only Mercedes’ drivers have won the championship. The Silver Arrows have remained indented in this turbo-hybrid era. So, Horner believes it will be his greatest achievement in Red Bull if he wins one championship this year.

Even bigger than the straight four titles he won at the start of the last decade.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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