Following Toto Wolff’s comment that Max Verstappen was operating in a “different galaxy” during the Bahrain race, Christian Horner provided a more measured viewpoint.
Verstappen clinched the season’s inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing over 20 seconds ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, affirming Red Bull’s dominant start and ambition to maintain their championship titles in 2024.
In light of Verstappen and Red Bull’s superior performance relative to Mercedes, Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, remarked that the current World Champion was in a “different galaxy” over the weekend.
This perspective suggests a challenging year ahead for competitors aiming for the 2024 title against a strong Red Bull team.
Horner, however, opted not to dwell on Wolff’s interstellar comparison, emphasizing Red Bull’s “perfect race” execution instead. He cautioned against drawing long-term conclusions from just one race.
“I’ve been in this business too long to draw too many conclusions from a single race,” Horner told PlanetF1.com
He described the victory as an excellent start and a moment to savour, highlighting the long season ahead with its varied challenges and conditions.
“It’s a fantastic start, we’ll enjoy this moment, a maximum point score, but it’s a long season,” said Horner.
The Red Bull Team Principal suggested that despite the impressive performance in Bahrain, the competitive landscape could become more consolidated as the season progresses.
“Many different venues, different challenges, different conditions, and what we saw in the testing is things that are closer now.
“We got it right this weekend, we took the right tyres into the race, we executed a perfect race with both cars, and we got a great finish. But I think that it will converge.”
Despite inquiries focusing on the conclusion of an investigation into his role at Red Bull GmbH and his non-commentary on alleged email leaks linked to the investigation, Horner preferred to concentrate on the weekend’s on-track events.
He anticipates a tighter competition following Red Bull and foresees a season filled with more on-track challenges than the last.
“It’s what we’re here to do. It’s why we’re all here, is to go racing,” Horner stated.
He apologized for the less exciting race outcome, attributing it to the team’s hard work and the production of an exceptional car.
“It’s what we’re here to do. It’s why we’re all here, is to go racing,” Horner said.
“And I’m sorry that it wasn’t a more entertaining race for you today, but that is the result of the team doing its job and producing an incredible car.
Looking forward, Horner already set his sights on the upcoming race in Jeddah, maintaining a cautiously optimistic outlook for the rest of the season.
“Now, we have a sample of one race. I have the feeling that the field is going to concertina this year, so I don’t think you can take anything for granted out of this one race on a specific surface, specific conditions, and I have a feeling that this season will be a lot more challenging on track than last season.
“But, it’s the best possible start and our minds are already thinking about five days’ time in Jeddah.”
