Red Bull’s impeccable form at the start of the season was perhaps the only beacon of positivity for them. The dramatic controversy around Christian Horner was followed by the high-profile exits of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley. On top of that, there was a concern about Sergio Perez’s future too due to his inconsistency. Amid all this, their performance advantage also faded away with Max Verstappen single-handedly keeping them in the hunt for the Constructors’ title this season.
Regardless, Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan feels that the team is not getting distracted by all these happenings. Per F1 Maximaal, he said, “I am sure that we will defend both championships as best we can, with full commitment.”
Monaghan also talked about other teams catching up and what their approach will be going ahead. He said that the Red Bull team will depend on Verstappen and Perez to deliver consistently and added, “We have to work together, stick together, and get the best out of everything we have.”
That’s a 63-point swing to McLaren over the past six races in their Constructors’ championship battle with Red Bull
Could they really pull off an F1 title win this year? pic.twitter.com/kRese8fyYV
— Autosport (@autosport) July 21, 2024
While other teams like McLaren and Mercedes are catching up rapidly, Monaghan feels that Red Bull should focus on themselves. He stated,
“It’s quite compelling. I don’t know how other people feel, you’re so focused on what you’re doing, so I wasn’t really following it or getting distracted by it”.
And precisely so, while Newey and Wheatley are stepping aside, people like Monaghan need to keep up the motivation high at Milton Keynes. Particularly when McLaren are only 42 points behind them in the constructors’ standings. Even Christian Horner highlighted that their priority currently is to protect their constructors’ championship lead.
Horner sets Red Bull’s goals for the second half of 2024
This time last year, Red Bull had reportedly shifted its focus to the RB20’s development. However, they don’t have the luxury to do so this season with McLaren breathing down their neck. So, Horner stated that they will continue to work flat out on the RB20 itself, as their recent Hungary upgrades have not worked.
The Red Bull boss also mentioned that whatever they learn about this year’s car will also be “relevant to next year anyway”. So, they are not losing out much on next year’s car development even amidst a championship fight.
Meanwhile, Horner also reflected on the first part of the season and expressed his satisfaction with Red Bull’s overall performance. Per RacingNews365, he said, “If you reflect on the first part of the year now, we’re over half distance, we’ve won seven Grands Prix, we’ve won two or three sprint races, we’re leading both championships.”
So, all is not gloomy at the Milton Keynes outfit with Horner and Co. trying their best to push for both championships. While the recent exits of Newey and Wheatley may be affecting them, Horner is confident of finding good talent to replace the two Red Bull stalwarts.
