Red Bull Racing’s dominance in the 2023 F1 season is neither bad for the sport nor bad for racing, believes team principal Christian Horner. With the example of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s contention for victory, the British executive snubbed any talks of his team’s utter dominance being a spoilsport.
When asked by the hosts in the talk show Pardon My Take if Red Bull’s dominance is actually “bad for the sport“, the Red Bull boss stated, “Well obviously, in my perspective, it’s not.”
Speaking on this, he said, “But I think when you’ve got two teammates that are competing hard with each other like we have and that’s another dynamic, another you know focus of interest.”
How competitive are Red Bull drivers?
The two Red Bull drivers have been massively competitive this season. With two wins each, Verstappen and Perez are redefining the intra-team rivalry.
The Dutchman is leading the drivers’ championship with 93 points, followed by the Mexican with 87. While the two-time world champion picked up two pole positions compared to Perez’s one, the duo was even in terms of the fastest laps.
📰: Sergio Perez is confident that Red Bull will give him equal support to teammate Max Verstappen in the fight for the Championship this season. Despite being six points behind Verstappen, Perez believes that the team has shown high levels of respect towards both drivers and is… pic.twitter.com/mfHJtYnojY
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) May 5, 2023
Even though there hasn’t been a situation where the team had to intervene in between their fights on track, it is believed that their racing antics are well-suited for a season full of firecrackers.
Horner expects rivals to fight back
While the defending champions are still enjoying the dominance, the 49-year-old boss expects his rivals to catch them up pretty soon with major upgrades when the sport goes back to Europe.
Admittedly, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin are all set to bring huge upgrades in the upcoming races in Imola and thereafter. Furthermore, Red Bull has a cost cap penalty, which will significantly slow its development down in the later stages.
All in all, Red Bull’s dominance might be in jeopardy as the season goes on. But for now, they have a healthy advantage of 93 points over their nearest rival Aston Martin just after the conclusion of four races.
