- Team Principal Christian Horner says winning all six of the remaining races is a big ask
- Singapore has more corners on the calendar than Monza does
- Verstappen is looking at lifting his second championship
Red Bull team Principal Christian Horner says winning all six of the remaining races on the calendar is a “huge ask” from Max Verstappen.
The team has won five straight races and is in contention for the drivers and constructors titles, Horner says. Verstappen may clinch the championship in Singapore early next month as Red Bull has won 11 of the 16 races to date.
When questioned by Autosport if Red Bull might dominate the standings in the season’s final weeks, Horner said it’s a huge request, and the tracks vary greatly.
He explained that Singapore has more corners on the calendar than Monza does. He added that it’s a street track, bumpy, and a ‘really different challenge’.
Horner expressed optimism saying that Red Bull’s standing in the championship is excellent. The points, though are relevant in the battle for their second championship.
Christian Horner. Photo/PlanetF1
The Red Bull principal said that their car is in perfect condition and it was clear in Budapest, Monza, Spa and Zandvoort.
If Verstappen defeats Charles Leclerc of Ferrari by 22 points in Singapore’s upcoming race the championship race will be over on October 2.
The RB18 is Red Bull’s next Formula One vehicle for the 2022 season. Verstappen won the 2018 Formula One World Championship, ending Mercedes’ four-year championship run.
He narrowly defeated Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. Since his debut in 2015, he has used the number 33 on his car every season, but this year, as champion, he has decided to switch to number one.
Horner remarked that RB18 has witnessed the biggest team effort in the history of his team. The new car is a testament to the long hours and hard work that have gone into the design, development, and production of the automobile behind the scenes at the factory and on the campus in Milton Keynes.
Honda continued manufacturing, assembling, maintaining, and supporting the engine it developed.
Red Bull. Photo/Getty Images
While Red Bull engines are manufactured by Honda, the company no longer associates with Formula One. This season, both Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri will use engines manufactured by ‘Red Bull Powertrains.’
Ideally, they have just rebadged Honda engines. In contrast, these engines are truly one of a kind. Moreover, this is already an improvement over the alternatives Red Bull could have faced.
For instance, if a few crucial decisions were made differently, Red Bull may have been forced to find a new engine supplier or stuck with an extension of Honda’s 2020 design.
Instead, Honda committed to providing as much help as it could to Red Bull after it announced it will leave Formula One at the end of 2021. In addition to transferring its intellectual property to Red Bull, the team promised a much-improved engine for 2022, as detailed in The Race from 2018.
Since Honda had long planned to produce that 2021 F1 engine, Red Bull inherited a modern specification beginning 2022.
It has a two-part engine development freeze. The first one is internal combustion engines, MGU-H, turbochargers, fuel, and lubricant freezing.
The second freeze is on the requirements for MGU-K, energy stores, and control electronics.
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