Christian Horner responds to Charles Leclerc's damning verdict about Red Bull dominance

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently responded to Charles Leclerc's bold claim that the former's team could dominate in F1 till 2026, when the power unit regulations will change. Though it is a claim that could very much turn into reality, Horner feels that any other team could jump to the top of the table with the right concept.

Prior to the Dutch GP, Charles Leclerc stated how Red Bull has a massive margin and how it is going to be extremely difficult to catch the reigning world champions until the next regulation change. He said (via PlanetF1):

“That’s what we are trying to work towards. But for sure they have a really big margin and it’s going to be very, very difficult to catch them before the next change of regulations.”

In response to this comment, Christian Horner hopes that the Ferrari driver's statement is true. However, he is well aware of how quickly the tables can turn in the sport.

He is expecting strong competition not only in the coming few seasons but also in the second half of 2023 itself. In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1, the Red Bull team boss said:

“I hope he’s right! But nobody’s got a crystal ball and things move very quickly in this business. I mean, look at the jump that Aston Martin made this year. We’re not resting on our laurels. We expect competition in the second half of this year and certainly next year and beyond.

“It’s not like everybody’s going, ‘Okay, let’s all focus on 2026’. There are no chassis regulation changes available for play so everybody’s focused on now. The one thing that we’ve always seen is when there is stability in regs, there is convergence and we fully expect that to happen over the next 12 months.”

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Lewis Hamilton determined to pounce on Red Bull and Max Verstappen if they make a mistake

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have been unbeatable for nearly the entire 2023 F1 season. However, Lewis Hamilton has prepared himself to pounce on the reigning world champions the moment they slip a little in any race. Speaking to the media about his goals in the second half of the 2023 season, he said:

"I'm trying to prepare myself for when the car is ready to be able to challenge and beat Max. So I think at the moment, the only way we could probably do that currently is just to capitalize on any potential mistakes, which they don't tend to make. But if they do, I'll be there."

Mercedes and McLaren are the only teams currently capable of somehow catching Red Bull in certain situations.