Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is convinced of his team’s abilities in 2022. The Briton claims that while it’s impossible to predict who will come out on top in the new season, it’s unlikely his team will fall back into mid-table.
Fans are speculating the Milton Keynes-headquartered team will face significant challenges in the coming season having reportedly spent most of their time and effort securing the 2021 title. Ferrari and McLaren focused on their 2022 cars right after the summer break last year, with Mercedes’ Toto Wolff initially demanding the same for his team. However, it was evident that the German team continued to develop their constructor-winning W12 well beyond the summer break.
When asked if the 2021 title fight will affect their 2022 campaign, Christian Horner jokingly said:
“If Ferrari comes out with the fastest car and crushes us all in the first race, it’s safe to say we suffered from the intense title fight. Or maybe Haas suddenly comes out with a rocket… But no joke: we have a phenomenal team at Red Bull and our people have worked very hard, but of course we have no guarantee that we will be competitive again under the new regulations.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko described the team’s lack of preparation as a “misunderstanding” and clarified the statements made by Alex Albon, which sparked the discussion.
Red Bull’s Christian Horner calls it “stupid” to underestimate any team in 2022
With the all-new rule changes, Christian Horner thinks it’s a bad move to underestimate any of the teams in the starting line-up based on their performance in 2021. The new rule changes bring massive redesigns to the aerodynamics of the cars, which is said to be possible for tighter races. In addition to the 18-inch Pirelli tires, there are also changes to the body. Teams like Ferrari, McLaren and Alpine are already looking to challenge the front runners because of these significant changes.
Just thinking about the first ‘lights out and let’s go’ for the 2022 F1 season
Just thinking about the first ‘lights out and let’s go’ for the 2022 F1 season
Horner therefore believes it is prudent to enter the new season with a balanced mindset and not underestimate teams that have been slower in the past. He told RacingNews365:
“I think it’s likely that the big teams will be up front. What order they will be in is hard to predict. It’s the same group of people who designed last year’s car who designed this year’s car, so it’s how you approach a problem, how you interpret regulations and the creativity of the group that sets them apart. It will be interesting to see what our competitors are doing [do]but I think it would be foolish to underestimate one of the teams with such a big rule change.
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