Red Bull Racing’s team principal, Christian Horner, has expressed his flattery towards McLaren for adopting their car design philosophy, as the reigning constructors’ champions edge closer to a remarkable Formula 1 record.
Following the implementation of new aerodynamic regulations in the previous season, Red Bull has proven nearly invincible on the track.
Presently, they are on an exceptional 11-race winning streak, only three victories away from surpassing Ferrari’s all-time record achieved during the 1952-1953 seasons (excluding the Indianapolis 500 races in those years, per some statisticians’ preference).
If Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez secures the chequered flag at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull will set a new milestone by achieving 12 consecutive victories.
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McLaren, however, recently posed a formidable challenge to Red Bull’s dominance at Silverstone.
With an upgraded McLaren—dubbed the MCL60—Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified second and third on the grid, respectively, closely resembling Red Bull’s RB19.
Both drivers finished as runners-up and fourth, respectively, behind the triumphant Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes driver and seven-time world champion, pointed out that McLaren’s MCL60 shared similarities in its front and rear suspension and possessed a side-impact structure akin to Red Bull’s car.
In response to Hamilton’s observation, Horner commented, “It’s a very similar concept.
“I was looking at the car on the grid (at Silverstone), and it’s the first time I’ve really seen it this year.
“You can see the philosophy they’ve borrowed is very similar, that they’ve chosen a similar path.”
When asked if he considered it a compliment, Horner responded with a smile, stating, “Yeah, always. It’s flattering, isn’t it?”
Nevertheless, Horner is not surprised that competitors are starting to imitate Red Bull’s design.
He believes it is only natural, given the outstanding performance of their car.
Horner pondered, “It’s inevitable that will happen, and why wouldn’t you when you’ve got a car that’s performing like ours?
“It’s fairly logical that you would look to emulate it. Which some teams have chosen to do.”
As Red Bull has clinched victory in 20 of the last 21 races, interest in Formula 1 is purportedly declining.
However, Horner remains unapologetic for his team’s dominance and is confident that convergence among teams will ultimately occur, dethroning Red Bull from its commanding position.
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Horner stated, “My job is to win, and the one thing we know from this sport is that things will converge.
“You can already see it starting to happen, and the most important thing to have convergence is stability, and stability of regulations will bring all of the teams much, much closer together.
“You can see it’s already starting to happen. It’s not going to be another seven years of domination.”