Red Bull team principal Christian Horner jokingly admitted that the team’s biggest challenge in 2023 was their constant livery changes, just to add some more salt into the wounds of the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari.
The Milton Keynes-based side introduced a unique special livery at each of the three races in the United States this year, with each design having been created by a fan.
It kept Red Bull’s design team busy, especially towards the end of the season as there wasn’t a huge timeframe between the United States Grand Prix and the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
“The biggest changes we’ve had have been livery!” Horner jokingly told the media, including RacingNews365.com, when asked what Red Bull’s biggest challenge in 2023 was.
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Away from the jokes, Horner admitted that Red Bull’s challenges have varied throughout the season, given how often the pecking order behind them has changed.
At the start of this year, Aston Martin were comfortably their biggest threat, before Mercedes took the number two spot in the pecking order.
The Silver Arrows were then replaced by McLaren, who found considerable performance after introducing a huge upgrades package at the Austrian Grand Prix.
In the closing rounds, Red Bull’s biggest threat was then Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc having finished second in the last two races in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi.
The fight behind Red Bull was exhilarating throughout 2023, as the side closest to the Austrians changed at almost every Grand Prix.
As well as having the unstoppable Max Verstappen in their car, Red Bull’s biggest strength this year has been their consistency.
With the exception of the Singapore Grand Prix where Carlos Sainz secured victory, Red Bull have performed consistently at every other Grand Prix, giving them a constant advantage.
Horner recognises that this is where they’ve been “particularly strong” compared to their competitors.
“At different times during the season, we’ve had different competitors, giving us a hard time, whether it was Aston Martin that started the season very strongly,” said Horner.
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“If you think back to Monaco that just came down to Quali, that was just one lap in Quali that determined that race.
“And then more recently, McLaren have really brought us a firm challenge at some very recent races, we’ve had Ferrari up there as well and Mercedes occasionally as well.
“So, it’s been varying who the competitor has been. I think where we’ve been particularly strong is we’ve just managed to achieve that level of consistency across many different circuits, conditions, and circumstances.”