Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner talked to Sky Sports F1 about McLaren’s new entry Rob Marshall, a former Red Bull engineer who spent the past 17 years with the winning team. He officially joined McLaren yesterday.
Horner praised the team for its work during the course of the second half of the 2023 season, specifying that Marshall’s arrival could represent a step forward for McLaren, a momentum that could allow the team to pose a threat in the 2024 world title chase.
Marshall joins the Woking-based team as a Technical Director, Engineering & Design, with fellow new recruit David Sanchez becoming Executive Technical Director.
They also have one of the strongest driver pairings in the sport with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
“McLaren had a great second half of the year. There were times they were very, very competitive – our closest competitor at times during the second half of the season – and they’ve strengthened their team. Rob will for sure be an asset.
“But with Lando and Oscar, who was really impressive as a debutant this year, I think they could well be a factor next year.
“With stable regs, inevitably we’re going to get into diminishing returns because we’re probably close to the top of the curve in development that others haven’t been, so that will converge.
“We’re fully expecting, whether it’s McLaren or Ferrari or Mercedes or even Aston Martin, could well be contenders next year.”
Photo Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
Meanwhile, Red Bull prepares for the start of next season. Speaking to PlanetF1 in anticipation of the car’s unveiling and pre-season testing in Bahrain next month, the British team principal explained that he expects that their 2024 challenger will not be the only one to reflect the very best components of the RB19.
“Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. I think that’s the way Formula 1 operates. So I’m sure there’ll be several cars that look like RB19 next year.”
Red Bull heads into 2024 on the back of 3 world championships won with its leading driver Max Verstappen, overcoming regulation changes that have thrown the teams into a new era two years ago. For Horner, the victories of the past three years have only made Red Bull an even stronger, more cohesive team capable of raising the bar for the rest of the grid.
“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. 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.”
