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Red Bull CEO Christian Horner believes that their rivals Mercedes and Ferrari have not been able to develop their cars with a solid platform. The Briton feels their own solid design platform has taken them in a positive direction, in terms of car development.
Speaking in the team principals' press conference during the Austrian GP weekend, Horner said:
“I would say the most significant thing is that we came into the year with a competitive car. I think if we'd have been having to fix issues on the current car, then that would have been disastrous for us. I think, thankfully, we had a good solid base. You can see our rate of development compared to our competitors is somewhat more moderate and that's simply because we just don't have the resource time available.
"So the resource time we do have available, we have to pick and choose where we apply it and of course, I'm sure all these guys will tell you the same, that a lot of focus already is going into next year's car.”
The Red Bull CEO stated that they do not have the time available to them due to the wind tunnel penalty handicap that the championship-winning team has.
However, a solid baseline platform to develop the RB19 has only led to improvements and further progress. On the other hand, their rivals Ferrari had a strong base platform but various issues to fix on their car, which compromised their performance earlier in the season.
When it comes to Mercedes, their very platform was unstable and they had to launch a B-spec version of the W14 to improvise their performance. The Brackley team had to struggle with bouncing issues in 2022, while they clearly lacked in many performance areas in 2023.
Apart from Aston Martin, very few rival teams had taken a leap forward in terms of car development since the commencement of the 2023 season.
Red Bull CEO sheds light on synergy with their junior team
Christian Horner believes the relationship between Red Bull and AlphaTauri will continue as it has over the decades, even after Franz Tost’s departure. The Briton feels that they will be able to continue the momentum with the newly appointed team principal for 2024, Laurent Mekies, and their new CEO, Peter Bayer.
Amidst rumours and speculation of a potential sellout, Horner asserted the continuation of the relationship between the two teams.
Speaking about the future of Red Bull and AlphaTauri’s relationship, Horner said:
“Well, I think we've always enjoyed a strong relationship with AlphaTauri, and prior to that, Toro Rosso have produced some incredible young talent for us. Of course, on the technical side, there's synergies through the components that can be supplied. And of course, we expect to see that hopefully to grow in the future within the realms of what is possible and what isn't.
"And so everything evolves and everything changes with time. And we look forward to working with Laurent and Peter in the future, but it's been great working with Franz during these past 18 or 19 years.”
Previously badged under the Toro Rosso name, the AlphaTauri team has been the breeding ground for the Red Bull junior driver program. The Faenza-based team has been responsible for grooming talents such as Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.
The Italian team is reported to have received an $800 million offer for a potential sellout, but their stance to be tied up to their senior team remains solid.
