Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing / Twitter
Neither we as fans, nor the teams knew what to expect from this 2022 Formula 1 season. The new regulations were supposed to shake things up on the grid and in a way, they did, although Red Bull Racing have so far looked just as strong as they did last year.
Max Verstappen clinched Red Bull’s eighth win of the year during this past weekend’s French Grand Prix, with the UK-based Austrian outfit winning eight of the opening 12 races of the season. In other words, they’ve looked nothing short of dominant.
As of right now, Verstappen holds a 63-point lead at the top of the Driver Standings over Charles Leclerc, while Red Bull has a commanding 82-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructor Standings.
“Look, if you would have told me going into last year that with the biggest regulation change in 40 years and with the effort we put into last year’s championship, that we’d be sitting here with eight Grand Prix victories, two Sprint victories and leading both championships with 64 (63 actually) and 82 points, that would have been beyond my wildest expectations,” said team principal Christian Horner.
“And I think that it is really a testament to the determination, dedication and the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at the factory.”
“Now, we’ve seen Ferrari are very competitive also this year, we’ve seen other teams – Mercedes for sure are gathering momentum – but considering that we were probably the last team to transition [development] fully onto this car, it’s been a phenomenal job.”
Next up on the calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Verstappen and Red Bull could further extend their lead in both championships. However, the Hungaroring is expected to favor Ferrari’s setup, which is something that Horner is well aware of.
“We’ve got different circuits, different challenges coming up and there are some interesting venues coming up. We’ve got Hungary coming up next weekend, which will probably play more to the Ferrari’s strengths than our strengths," concluded Horner.
As of right now, Verstappen holds a 63-point lead at the top of the Driver Standings over Charles Leclerc, while Red Bull has a commanding 82-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructor Standings.
“Look, if you would have told me going into last year that with the biggest regulation change in 40 years and with the effort we put into last year’s championship, that we’d be sitting here with eight Grand Prix victories, two Sprint victories and leading both championships with 64 (63 actually) and 82 points, that would have been beyond my wildest expectations,” said team principal Christian Horner.
“And I think that it is really a testament to the determination, dedication and the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at the factory.”
“Now, we’ve seen Ferrari are very competitive also this year, we’ve seen other teams – Mercedes for sure are gathering momentum – but considering that we were probably the last team to transition [development] fully onto this car, it’s been a phenomenal job.”
Next up on the calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Verstappen and Red Bull could further extend their lead in both championships. However, the Hungaroring is expected to favor Ferrari’s setup, which is something that Horner is well aware of.
“We’ve got different circuits, different challenges coming up and there are some interesting venues coming up. We’ve got Hungary coming up next weekend, which will probably play more to the Ferrari’s strengths than our strengths," concluded Horner.
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