Christian Horner believes the leader of the Formula 1 pecking order will be leveled next year.
Christian Horner believes the tight qualifying sessions at the Circuit of the Americas are a sign of the upcoming season. Red Bull have been a dominant part of the current campaign, but they faced a challenge from their rivals during the US Grand Prix weekend.
The Milton Keynes-based team finished sixth and ninth in Friday qualifying with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Verstappen took pole in Saturday’s sprint qualifying, but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton overtook the two-time world champion by a tenth of a second.
Red Bull won only once this year, the Singapore Grand Prix was secured by Ferrari. Much higher intensity Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Horner said that Red Bull will have a battle in the US at the weekend, but also stated that it is a sign that the pecking order will be tighter next season.
“It definitely makes it a lot tighter,” he said. “It definitely makes those margins, and you have to trust your data a lot more. “So the number of simulations you go through in competitions is a lot more intense. “But it happens.
When you have solid rules, cars and teams get closer. “I think it’s a precursor to what we’ll see next year, when it’s a much tighter field.”
