Horner: Mercedes’ title race to lose

Michelle Foster
Christian-Horner-unhappy

Christian-Horner-unhappy

Christian Horner is resigned to this season being “very much a Mercedes championship” with only the Brackley squad’s own errors capable of stopping them.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas have dominated this year’s championship, racing to five successive 1-2 results.

As such Hamilton is leading the championship on 122 points, double what Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has in third place.

“I think it’s very much a Mercedes championship, you can see after five races they are three points off a maximum score,” Horner told F1i.com

“It’s still a long year and we take things race-by-race.

“They had a really dominant performance. They’re always strong in Barcelona but certainly their fifth one-two finish is exceedingly dominant.”

Mercedes’ form has raised questions about whether this season could be a repeat of 1988, or if Mercedes could even go one better.

That year McLaren won 15 of 16 grands prix on the way to the 1-2 in the championship.

Horner says it is unlikely Mercedes will win every race.

“I doubt it,” he added. “Twenty-one races to achieve 21 victories, you can never say never but it would be a hell of an achievement.

“Anybody can be beaten, Formula 1 is all about teamwork, it’s the biggest teams in the world.

“Mercedes at the moment are on the crest of a wave but that never lasts forever and our job is to ensure that we have all the tools and capability to take that challenge to them in the coming years.”

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