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Red Bull's lead over Ferrari midway through the 2022 F1 season is more than the relative performance gap between the two teams. That's the view of Honda F1 chief Yasuaki Asaki.
According to Asaki, the fact that Red Bull is making fewer mistakes than Ferrari is the reason why the team enjoys such an advantage in the championship right now. Speaking to the media, he said:
“It was a big surprise to me that Mercedes could not show their true potential right away. I expected Ferrari to be strong, of course, but didn’t think it would turn into a battle between Red Bull and Ferrari. Red Bull are making fewer mistakes than Ferrari at the moment. The difference in points between the two teams is greater than our true strength.”
Asaki also touched upon how even Red Bull encountered issues at the start of the season with the power unit, but once those were rectified, things have been much better for the team.
He said:
“We are now in a position where we are fighting for both championships, so we keep fighting. We had some problems at the start of the season, but we solved them. I think that’s why we are where we are today.”
Having said that, team principal Christian Horner has warned against complacency despite the mid-season advantage enjoyed by the team. Horner alluded to the fact that the championship picture can change at any point in time. The Red Bull boss also claimed to be taking seriously a potential threat from Mercedes in the second half of the season.
Horner said:
“There’s such a long way to go and we’ve seen such big swings in points. Ferrari have a great car and competitive drivers, and Mercedes... I wouldn’t discount them from the championship just yet, so there’s a long, long way to go and an awful lot of racing, and a lot of points available.”
“We are only at the halfway point, so anything is possible. We don’t rule out or underestimate any of our opponents. They’ve won the constructors’ championship for the last eight consecutive seasons, so we’d be fairly foolhardy to underestimate them.”
Max Verstappen has not changed much ever since he joined Red Bull
Speaking about Max Verstappen, Christian Horner said that the Red Bull driver had not changed much since he joined the team in 2016. Horner claimed that Verstappen is still the same in the way he goes about things, with the only change being the experience he has gained and the maturity he has acquired over the years.
The Milton Keynes-based team's principal said:
“Max, from the very first time he drove the car, [had] incredible natural speed, great car control, huge self-confidence, and that’s not changed at all. All that’s changed is his experience, and obviously maturity. He joined us as a teenager and now he’s 24 years of age, so that’s the only thing that’s really changed.’’
“It’s been a really positive first half of the year – eight victories, two Sprint race victories, leading both championships. But of course, it means very little. It’s where you are at the end of the season that really counts. So whilst it’s been a very encouraging first half of the year, it’s now all about what we do in the second half of the season.’’
The team enjoys a significant lead in both the championships and has picked up as many as 9 wins out of the 13 races this season.
