Christian Horner exclusive: Red Bull boss drops big claim on make-up of F1 2024 grid

Thomas Maher
Christian Horner, team boss of Red Bull, at the 2023 United States GP.

Christian Horner believes several F1 cars could look quite similar to Red Bull's RB19 in 2024...

Christian Horner reckons there could be a few cars bearing resemblance to Red Bull’s RB19 on the grid in 2024.

The RB19 finished 2023 with 21 from 22 Grand Prix wins, thus becoming the sport’s most dominant car as its win percentage eclipsed that of McLaren’s 1988 MP4/4.

With the car closer to the ceiling of performance of the current ground-effect rules, introduced for 2022, other teams began rolling out updates during 2023 that bore a resemblance to Red Bull’s own architecture – but that imitation work could be even more drastic for 2024.

Christian Horner: It’s just the way Formula 1 operates

Speaking in an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Christian Horner reflected on his team’s incredible success with the RB19 as his team romped to both titles in one of the most dominant seasons ever witnessed in Formula 1.

Horner spoke about how the team’s RB20 will be “evolutionary” rather than being a very different machine, as some media reports had suggested, with Horner also saying he expects a closer field in 2024 due to convergence – a natural occurrence as teams close in on the ultimate performance possible under a ruleset.

To that end, he expects more cars to bear a striking resemblance to the RB19 once they roll out on track for pre-season testing in Bahrain.

“Imitation is the biggest form of flattery,” he said.

“I think that’s the way Formula 1 operates. So I’m sure there’ll be several cars that look like RB19 next year.”

 

PlanetF1.com recommends

Ranked: Top 10 F1 2023 drivers voted for by all 10 team bosses

Top 10: All drivers except Lewis Hamilton vote for best F1 2023 drivers

With Red Bull’s advantage in 2023 actually increasing compared to ’22, just how surprised was Horner by the other teams lagging behind – given the rules had remained broadly stable, aside from some floor rule tweaks?

“Yes, we were [surprised], because in ’22, it was a very new set of regulations. It always takes a while for these things to settle, and then converge,” he said.

“I think what we’ve seen this year is, at different moments in time, different competitors.

“So the one consistent thing has been our performance, and I’m sure that will change next year as, again, the regulations remain stable.

“Of course, there’ll be convergence, but the level at which the team has operated on a consistent basis, across all conditions, and all different circuits to achieve 21 Grand Prix victories, six 1-2 finishes, to have broken all the records that we have with consecutive wins and so on… it’s astounding.”

Christian Horner: Red Bull hit internal highs we’ve never hit before

But was it a case of the other teams falling short of expectations, or does Horner believe Red Bull simply performed to a far higher standard than the competition were expecting?

“I think we just raised the bar,” he said.

“We hit internal highs that we’ve never hit before. The way the whole team is working as a group collectively, with all the departments supporting each other – it’s not like the performance has come from one particular thing.

“It’s across the board. Its strategy, it’s pitstops. It’s obviously the way that we’ve developed the car, it’s aerodynamics, it is the mechanical side of the car, and the engine. And, of course, the drivers doing their part.”

Read Next: Helmut Marko clarifies Red Bull future following post-season crunch talks