“We Just Didn’t Take It Seriously Because Max Verstappen Kept Winning:” Christian Horner on Red Bull’s Performance

After winning all but one race in 2023, Red Bull has taken a huge step back in 2024 with their last win coming in Barcelona — seven races ago — with Max Verstappen behind the wheel of the RB20. There is little doubt that Red Bull is working extra hard to get back to winning ways with both championships on the line. However, Christian Horner revealed that they had seen symptoms of this impending downfall back in 2023 itself.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Horner has explained that Red Bull’s current struggles date back to a wrong step they took back at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix but it went unnoticed because of their dominance.

“We traced the development history back and it turned out that the first mistake we made was with a floor upgrade in 2023 in Barcelona”, Horner explained. “That was also the Grand Prix from which Checo started having problems with the car. We just didn’t take it so seriously because Max kept winning.”

Horner tells an interesting story: “We traced the development history back and it turned out that the first mistake we made was with a floor upgrade in 2023 in Barcelona. That was also the Grand Prix from which Checo started having problems with the car.”

8/15 #AMuS

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Interestingly, the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix was also the race when Sergio Perez really started to struggle with the RB19 and his race results took a nosedive in the following races. Since then, the pressure on Perez has only increased, with reports about Red Bull looking to replace him midway through 2024 and for 2025.

Still, the #11 driver has a contract with the Austrian outfit for 2025 and beyond. Even Horner has backed Perez to recover his form — which fell off the cliff after the Chinese and Miami Grands Prix this season.

Returning to Baku — the track where he last won a race — the Mexican driver showed better pace than Verstappen. Perez’s pace in Azerbaijan also boosted Red Bull’s confidence about resolving the issues with the RB20. However, his penultimate lap crash has made things even more difficult for the Milton Keynes outfit in the championship battle.

Perez’s crash in Baku has rung alarm bells at Red Bull

Owing to his superior pace in Baku, Perez could have got his first podium since the Chinese GP this season. However, his crash with Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap that ended both their races meant he had to face disappointment yet again.

But the struggle for Red Bull is more than just about the 15 points Perez lost or that they are now behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship by 20 points. The crash was massive causing a lot of damage to the #11 driver’s car. So, Red Bull could face a crunch with their parts and upgrades, and it could hurt them in the developmental battle.

Horner has also acknowledged that there is now a shortage of spare parts, revealing that the team “will have to work five days at home in the factory to get the necessary parts to Singapore in time for Friday.”

Moreover, Singapore is also a street track that will further expose the RB20’s weaknesses. Red Bull is aware of the same and has to maximize its results in Singapore to avoid losing too many points in both championships.