Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted that he feels like Lewis Hamilton has “selective memory”, following the Mercedes driver’s call for a regulation change to be introduced to end the Austrians dominance.
Since the new aerodynamic regulations were introduced in 2022, Red Bull have been unbeatable, to the extent that they’ve won 36 races since the start of last season.
32 of those wins have been claimed by three-time World Champion Max Verstappen, who is in a complete league of their own.
Only now are a team starting to challenge Red Bull consistently, and that’s McLaren.
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Lando Norris in particular has been taking the fight to Verstappen in recent rounds, something Mercedes have done just the once in the last 18 months.
The Silver Arrows have been victorious just the once since the start of 2022 and that was at the Brazilian Grand Prix last season, where George Russell claimed his maiden win.
Hamilton still hasn’t won since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with his winless streak showing no signs of ending.
Mercedes have struggled to adapt to the new regulations and are far from being dominant, with their period of superiority starting to feel like a distant memory.
The Brackley-based team have a long way to go in order to catch Red Bull, resulting in Hamilton calling for the regulations to be changed so the Milton Keynes-based side are brought closer to the field.
Red Bull believe it’s hypocritical for Hamilton to ask for a regulations change given how long Mercedes were dominant for, making Horner ponder whether the 103-time race winner has issues with his memory.
“I feel like he has a selective memory,” Horner said on the ‘Eff Won with DRS’ podcast.
“Some of the wins they had in that period were just obscene. We’ve had a good run for a couple of years, but the only one who shouldn’t say that, I think, is Lewis.”
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Some have gone as far as stating that Hamilton’s only chance to win another Drivers’ Championship is to join Red Bull, something Horner has categorically rejected ever happening.
“A Verstappen and a Hamilton, that’s never going to work because you kill your own car,” Horner said.
“You need to have a dynamic where the drivers drive for the team, not just for themselves. Otherwise, it can become very divisive.”