Red Bull boss questions Mercedes speed gains

3 years ago 271

Red Bull brag Christian Horner has expressed "surprise" aft Mercedes took a "significant" measurement guardant with its powerfulness portion successful caller races.

With this year's satellite title conflict betwixt Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton connected a knife-edge, each vantage volition beryllium important successful the remaining six races of the season.

Verstappen holds a six constituent pb aft finishing 2nd astatine the Turkish Grand Prix, but with archetypal spot astatine each contention earning 25 points, compared to 18 for second, that borderline could vanish astatine the United States Grand Prix successful conscionable implicit a week.

Mercedes introduced a caller specification motor astatine the Belgian Grand Prix successful August, and Horner believes that's tipped the equilibrium successful favour of Mercedes.

"Their straightline velocity has taken a important measurement recently, and I deliberation that, whereas we could lucifer them with smaller wings previously, present we can't get near," Horner told Motorsport.com.

"We saw that peculiarly astatine this circuit (in Turkey), wherever Lewis successful peculiar had a important straightline vantage with a bigger rear helping of the car.

"We've got to maximise our bundle arsenic champion we can. And, arsenic I say, it's astonishing that they've made the measurement that they person with the powerfulness unit."

The Red Bull brag expects the vantage to see-saw successful coming races, though with caller tracks successful Qatar and Saudi Arabia connected the calendar successful November and December, it's inactive not wide who has the precocious hand.

"We cognize the adjacent contention successful Austin has been a Hamilton stronghold for rather a fewer years," helium said. "But past Mexico and Brazil, hopefully higher altitude races tended to beryllium rather beardown for america successful the past. Then I'm truly not definite what to expect from the past three.

"It's going to beryllium fascinating, but you cognize we are going to person to beryllium astatine the precise apical of our game.

"We've managed to extract the maximum that we perchance could present [in Turkey], with large execution successful the pit stops, and bully strategy. So that was positive. But surely this venue has been beardown for Mercedes connected outright pace."

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!