Red Bull 'not that far away' from McLaren with RB21, says Horner

No wins, third place in the Constructors' Championship, a second driver in dire straits, and yet Christian Horner remains positive and confident after the first two Grands Prix of the season. Amidst a turbulent situation within the clan Red Bull, the Team Principal of the Austrian team prefers to maintain a certain optimism for the rest of the season. If Max Verstappen could not get rid of the McLaren In Australia and China, the Dutchman was able to get the most out of his RB21 to secure a podium finish and 36 points in the first two rounds.

Despite the lack of victory and a car still perfectible, the British leader does not want to be alarmed. "It's the second race, we mustn't be so defeatist, Christian Horner told Sky SportsWe're eight points behind in the Drivers' Championship after two races, and everything's still to play for. And last year taught us one thing: you can start as strong as you want, it's how you finish that counts."

Red Bull already has a " roadmap » to develop the RB21

After the Chinese meeting, Max Verstappen is actually eight points behind Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship. In the Constructors' Championship, however, due to Liam Lawson's setbacks, Red Bull is already behind with 36 points, compared to 78 for McLaren. Taking the 2024 scenario as an example, where Red Bull dominated the first part of the year before falling to 3rd place in the Constructors' Championship at the end of the season, Christian Horner also asserts that Red Bull is closer to McLaren than the Austrian team lets on.

"I think we have a reasonable base. We were 0 seconds off pole and we were as quick as a McLaren in the second stint [of the Grand Prix], said the boss of the Red Bull team, confident for the rest of the season. So we know there are areas for improvement on the car and a development roadmap is already planned. We're trying to make sure it will allow us to achieve the lap times needed to find a bit more pace and put pressure on the McLarens, who are not that far behind."

"Today, the McLarens are the benchmark. They won the first two races. They are the ones we have to beat, concludes Christian HornerWe're working really hard collectively as a team and Max is working harder than ever to put in the effort and give real direction on what he needs to get the car back to the pace it's missing." Please note that Liam Lawson is not mentioned at any point in the championship. As in 2024, Red Bull will likely have to contend with a single car in its quest for the Drivers' title. The Constructors' title no longer seems to be in the Austrian team's plans...

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