With the 2024 Formula 1 season fast approaching, Christian Horner and his Red Bull team are finalizing their strategies to retain both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
Team principal Christian Horner recently shared his excitement about seeing Red Bull’s car hit the track before the new Formula 1 season. Last year, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched the drivers’ title with ease, and the team also secured the constructors’ championship.
The action for the new season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2, where Horner was seen during testing.
Amidst these preparations, Red Bull has been dealing with allegations of ‘inappropriate behavior’ made against Horner by a female team member, prompting an internal investigation. Horner, 50, has vehemently denied these claims.
Horner, along with the Red Bull crew and staff, made their way to Bahrain following a promotional filming day at Silverstone the previous week.
During this event at the British Grand Prix’s venue, Horner emphasized that it was “business as usual” for him, focusing on the upcoming season’s challenges and goals.
“It was great to be back on track at Silverstone, seeing the RB20 come to life is incredible, it is always a special moment seeing a car drive down the pitlane for the first time,” Horner stated. “This Filming Day is enormously important for us all, from drivers to the marketing department.
“Max [Verstappen] and Checo [Perez] both got a good feel for the car, there is nothing to be deuced from the performance but it’s a moment to get those simple basics out and the way and tick a few boxes before heading out to Bahrain.
We are looking forward to seeing the car in drier conditions now. Our goal and aim for 2024 has to be to defend both Championships.”
The 2024 racing calendar kicks off with a trio of events in March, taking place in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia. Following these initial races, the series will move on to Japan, China, and Miami, setting the stage for the season’s first European race in Emilia Romagna come May.
Last season, the dominant Verstappen secured victories in 19 out of 22 races, leaving Perez to claim two wins and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz to take one. Despite last year’s overwhelming success, the 26-year-old champion anticipates tighter competition from his adversaries this season.
“If you look at most of the cars for sure they learned a lot of what direction that they want to develop in,” Verstappen stated. “That’s also a bit normal – when you keep the regulations the same for a while at one point people understand maybe where there is a bit more potential to find lap time.
More or less everyone has a similar side pod design nowadays.”
52-year-old Andrea Stella, the team principal at McLaren, has expressed a positive outlook for the upcoming season; “There are two more seasons with these regulations and I’m sure already within this season somebody may already think ‘we are going to catch Red Bull’ from a performance point of view.”
