Christian Horner expects Red Bull’s rivals to imitate the RB19 concept in 2024 following a dominant campaign on the track. Red Bull scooped both world championships long before the season’s end and set records for the most points accumulated by a driver, Max Verstappen, and a constructor in a calendar year.
Since F1 introduced new ground effect regulations in 2022, Red Bull has won every world championship. Mercedes came the closest to toppling Red Bull in 2023 while Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin had their moments as well. In the end, though, the Austrian constructor finished a whopping 451 points adrift of the rest of the grid.
However, Horner is anticipating a far more competitive season in 2024 as the field converges. “Imitation is the biggest form of flattery,” he told PlanetF1.com. “I think that’s the way Formula 1 operates. So I’m sure there’ll be several cars that look like RB19 next year.”
In 2022, Red Bull finished 205 points clear of their nearest challenger Ferrari. Many expected the gap to be bridged in 2023 as is often the case after a major rule change but instead Red Bull doubled their advantage.
When asked whether this came as a surprise to him, Horner replied: “Yes, we were [surprised], because in ’22, it was a very new set of regulations. It always takes a while for these things to settle, and then converge.
“I think what we’ve seen this year is, at different moments in time, different competitors. So the one consistent thing has been our performance, and I’m sure that will change next year as, again, the regulations remain stable.
“Of course, there’ll be convergence, but the level at which the team has operated on a consistent basis, across all conditions, and all different circuits to achieve 21 Grand Prix victories, six 1-2 finishes, to have broken all the records that we have with consecutive wins and so on… it’s astounding.”
“I think we just raised the bar,” he added. “We hit internal highs that we’ve never hit before. The way the whole team is working as a group collectively, with all the departments supporting each other – it’s not like the performance has come from one particular thing.
“It’s across the board. Its strategy, it’s pitstops. It’s obviously the way that we’ve developed the car, it’s aerodynamics, it is the mechanical side of the car, and the engine. And, of course, the drivers doing their part.”
