LONDON – Christian Horner has fired a warning shot towards his rival constructors on social media as he boldly proclaim that Red Bull’s dominance will prevail for some time.
The Red Bull team principal posted a “best is yet to come” message on his Instagram account insinuating that his team will maintain their place as the leader of motorsport ahead of Mercedes and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
Since joining the energy drink company 17 years ago, Horner has played an instrumental role in transforming a rookie constructor team then into an F1 championship contender today.
The English former racing driver’s mandate was to aid Red Bull’s quest in challenging the dominance of established car manufacturers namely Mercedes, Ferrari, Williams and McLaren.
Horner’s track record at Red Bull Racing has been hugely successful starting with impressive achievements in 2010, when Red Bull engineered an indomitable car which allowed Sebastian Vettel to bring home four consecutive Drivers’ Championships.
Vettel’s streak was cut short after F1 organisers revamped the rules in 2013, ending Red Bull’s dominance and allowing Mercedes to emerge as leaders once more. The German manufacturer would grab seven consecutive Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships thereafter.
Red Bull, however, persisted to challenge Mercedes and finally succeeded in snatching a first world title for Max Verstappen in the final year of the turbo-hybrid era.
Showing no signs of slowing down after a decade of intense and fierce competition, Horner has now blown the battle horns and proclaimed that his Red Bull team will only get better in upcoming seasons.
"17 years ago today as a fresh faced 31 year old I joined Red Bull Racing," Horner wrote.
"Seems like yesterday - what an incredible journey it has been so far with an amazing group of people and the best is yet to come. Happy New Year #redbullracing."
There are reports claiming that Red Bull’s 2022 car will be less superior as most of their resources have been spent on last year’s championship-winning car.
But the 48-year-old principal refuted those suggestions and has expressed confidence that Verstappen will rival Hamilton for the world title again this year.
"When Ferrari turn up with the fastest car and smash us out of the park at the first race then you'll have to say that it probably did," Horner joked after the season ended last year.
"But I think that we've all known that big regulation changes are coming for 2022 and we've applied our resource accordingly.
"I'm sure each team has done what they feel is right and it's put pressure on the organisation.
"That's where, I think, the team have been outstanding, because to keep a development rate on a new set of regulations and keep a focus on this year's car has taken a monumental effort.
"The commitment shown by all of the team, throughout the team, has been phenomenal." - Agencies, January 10, 2022
