Red Bull see no risk to 2022 despite upgrade drive

Jamie Woodhouse
Max Verstappen pit stop

Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes his team are doing a good job of balancing this season with their 2022 efforts.

The budget cap and the new generation of Formula 1 cars for 2022 mean teams are dealing with a constant internal battle as they plot out how best to use their resources.

Mercedes and Red Bull, the two title contenders, have actually taken different approaches.

For Mercedes, their final upgrade for the W12 is expected to arrive at the upcoming British Grand Prix, while Red Bull look set to continue to push through upgrades in a bid to further improve the RB16B.

So far, Red Bull’s aggressive upgrade plan has worked for them, with the team taking a 44-point lead over Mercedes into the British GP, while Max Verstappen tops the Drivers’ standings by 32 points over Lewis Hamilton.

Of course, it would be a huge risk if Red Bull were to make their 2021 efforts the priority and risk falling behind on the new regulations, but Horner believes both projects are well balanced.

“You’ve got to go week by week, race by race and I think the team’s doing a great job of balancing the challenges of this year and next year,” Horner is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com.

“It’s nothing new. There’s a lot being made of it at the moment, but we’ve had big regulation changes in the past so you just have to balance your resource and apply it to what needs the most.

“I think the team are working incredibly hard, extremely well and effectively.”

Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Mercedes Red Bull

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Verstappen dominated in both rounds at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, but now Formula 1 moves on to a far different circuit in Silverstone.

Horner is well aware this is a “Mercedes stronghold”, with the German outfit winning seven of the last nine races there, but the most recent visit went Red Bull’s way with Verstappen winning the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Nonetheless, with Red Bull chasing their sixth win in a row, Horner hopes to see the RB16B remain in the “good working window” they have found.

“It’s a shame we don’t have more races in Austria because now we head to a circuit that has been really very much a Mercedes stronghold for the last seven years,” he said.

“It’s also different challenges with the sprint race introduction and a different format that weekend. Obviously, Mercedes have been enormously strong there over the years. And Lewis [Hamilton] has his home support as well. So we expect it to be a big challenge.

“We know it’s such a stronghold for Mercedes. So it will be fascinating to see if we can take this form into what is our next home race.

“I think we have found a good working window with the car over the last few races and I think hopefully we can work within that window at Silverstone.”

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