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Ahead of the Austrian GP weekend, Red Bull supremo Christian Horner had shared his intentions of making all the attending McLaren fans cry at the Austrian GP with the team's performance. However, with the Austrian giant suffering a torrid race and McLaren, on the other hand, having a scrap for the race lead among its drivers, Horner praised the papaya car's ability to race closely, leading fans to reminisce about his claims that he had made earlier in the weekend.
The Austrian GP is Red Bull's home race, and Max Verstappen had won five times on the fabled track previously. This led people to attach many expectations to the Dutchman on scoring a possible sixth victory around the topsy-turvy track.
However, Verstappen's race came undone on the opening lap after being hit by Kimi Antonelli by no fault of his own. Red Bull's second driver, Yuki Tsunoda, had an equally bad race as he finished two laps behind the race leader and sealed off a terrible day for the team at its home race.
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On the other hand, McLaren recorded a 1-2 finish and made the race entertaining with the battle for the lead among the papaya duo. With Oscar Piastri being able to closely follow Lando Norris around the track, Christian Horner pointed out the Woking-based squad's advantage over its rivals:
Meanwhile, fans were quick to notice Horner's demeanour and pointed out how Horner's claims of making McLaren fans cry backfired on him:
"Remember his promise to make McLaren fans cry in #AustriaGP? Pepperidge Farms remember."
Fans then took a dig at the RB21's inability to be hauled by any other driver apart from Verstappen:
"Getting out developed with the so called best driver is hilarious🤣," one fan wrote.
"That’s a very unfitting way to describe what went on," another fan wrote.
"This is what makes McLaren a good team for the sport and fans. It lets its drivers race. Unlike Red Bull with their one car policy," a third fan shared his opinion.
Here are a few more reactions:
"Build a better car that designed for two drivers not just one," one netizen shared.
"Change your f**king car then Christian," another netizen wrote.
Red Bull has witnessed a massive downfall in performance in comparison to the early phase of the 2024 season.
Christian Horner affirms his faith in Red Bull's abilities amid subpar form on track
Red Bull had been the team to beat since 2022, as no opponent even came close to the Austrian giant's performance ceiling. But with the departure of Adrian Newey from the team, many reckoned that it was the sole reason behind the team's slump in performance.
However, the 51-year-old slammed such claims, and said (via Sky Sports):
"Unfortunately, we haven't seen the performance come that we would like. We're at the end of a set of regulations... But it's the same fundamental group of people that 18 months ago designed a car that won every single grand prix bar one. They didn't suddenly just become idiots overnight."
Red Bull sits fourth in the constructors' standings as McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes have consistently had better weekends than the Austrian giant as of late.
