Christian Horner makes early Austrian GP prediction about Red Bull and McLaren

Red Bull head to the Austrian Grand Prix with two objectives: avoid a penalty point for Max Verstappen and close the gap on McLaren in the F1 2025 standings.

However, Christian Horner admits the latter could be tricky as the forecast is for a hot weekend, which would suit McLaren.

Can Red Bull claw back points in Austria?

Last time out in Montreal, Verstappen not only pulled back points against the championship-leading McLaren team-mates, but he also avoided a dreaded penalty point.

The reigning World Champion has been sitting on 11 since his Spanish Grand Prix collision with George Russell, putting him in jeopardy of a ban with even a small transgression in Canada or Austria.

Canada has been ticked off, Verstappen surviving a late-race moment with Russell when he briefly overtook the Mercedes driver behind the Safety Car when Russell suddenly hit his brakes. The stewards, though, ruled no action was required.

Now making it through the Austrian Grand Prix without another point, and the automatic race ban that comes with getting 12 points in a 12-month rolling period, is the next target.

F1 2025: Key information

👉 F1 schedule: When is the next race and where is it being held?

👉 The results of the F1 2025 championship

“We’re looking forward to racing at the Red Bull Ring,” his team boss Horner told the media in Montreal. “It’s always a great event, big track.

“And we obviously need to make sure we get through that weekend. And then I think, following that race, the first of the points start to drop off.”

Verstappen loses two penalty points the day after the Austrian Grand Prix, which would drop him to nine points. He then has to wait until 27 October to lose another two.

The second goal for the Dutchman and Red Bull is to have a good weekend at their home race.

But while Verstappen has won four of the last seven Austrian grands prix, Horner believes the circuit’s medium-speed corners won’t suit the team’s RB21 while the heat will play to McLaren’s strengths. Temperatures are forecast to exceed 30C on Saturday and Sunday.

Horner continued: “It’s an important event, it’s always a popular event, and it’ll be great to be back in Austria, especially with Max, who has so many fans there.

“I think Austria, probably our weakness at the moment is in the medium speed type of corner and I think that Austria, that middle sector is, there’s a bit of medium speed there.

“So we’ll see. I would expect, if it’s hot, McLaren to again be stronger.”

McLaren have been the team to beat this season with six grand prix wins handing them the advantage in the championship races where Oscar Piastri leads Lando Norris by 22 points with Verstappen a further 21 off the pace.

Red Bull have dropped to fourth in the Constructors’ standings with Verstappen’s 155 points making up the bulk of their 162. The team trails McLaren by 212 points.

“The points gap,” said Horner, “there’s still a significant points gap between us and them, but we don’t give up on anything.

“We’re not even at the halfway point yet, so there’s a lot of racing, a lot of sprint races coming up.

“And if we can keep chipping away and getting performance on the car, then nobody gives up on anything.”

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