After Max Verstappen has no answer to Valtteri Bottas’ pace at the Turkish Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has shifted the picture of the competition between the two F1 title rivals in recent weeks.
While Red Bull appeared to have a pace advantage ahead of the summer break, he believes the arrival of Mercedes’ latest engine spec at Spa has increased straight-ahead travel for German automakers.
And while Red Bull used to be able to counter any top speed advantage Mercedes had with a lower downforce configuration, Horner now says the gap between the two teams is too great to do that.
Proof of this was that at one point in the race, Lewis Hamilton was able to overtake Sergio Perez on the back straight in Turkey, despite using a rear wing with higher downforce.
“Your speed on the straights has taken a significant step lately and I think that while we used to be able to reach it with smaller wings, we can’t get any closer now,” Horner said when asked by Motorsport.com where it came from current advantage comes from Mercedes.
“We saw that especially on this track, where Lewis in particular had a clear advantage when driving straight ahead with a larger rear wing.
“We have to maximize our package as best we can. And as I said, it is surprising that you have taken the step that you have taken with the unit.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Mercedes is grappling with engine reliability concerns with its older powerplants, but the recent introduction of new components for Bottas and Hamilton helped alleviate many of its worries.
The nature of current long-life engines also means that they will deliver more power when new, with a steady decline in performance over the course of operation.
The advantage Mercedes had in Turkey bodes well for its prospects in the next race at the United States Grand Prix, with the high-altitude destinations Mexico and Brazil likely to favor Red Bull thereafter.
The current situation is too short for Horner, and so his outfit cannot afford to miss opportunities.
“We know that the next race in Austin has been a Hamilton stronghold for several years,” he said. “But then Mexico and Brazil, hopefully the high altitude races have been pretty strong for us in the past. Then I’m really not sure what to expect from the last three.
“It will be fascinating, but you know we have to be at the top of our game.
“We managed to get the most out of what we could possibly do here [in Turkey], with great execution on the pit stops and good strategy. So that was positive. But certainly this place was strong for Mercedes in terms of pace. “
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