"F***king hate it!" - Red Bull's Christian Horner on being second to Mercedes

The latest season of Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive gives a glimpse of what went on behind the scenes for Red Bull during the 2021 season opener in Bahrain. The team's driver Max Verstappen had to settle for second even after securing pole for the race.

When asked what it was like to come second, team boss Christian Horner revealed that "second's not part of the plan" and that they were here to win. The Briton said:

“I f**king hate it. You know, nobody wants to finish second, but we are not going to back down from this fight. We will respond in the best way that we can, which is on track. We’ll go quicker. We’re in this sport to win and nobody is giving up. Everybody is fighting. Everybody believes that this could really start to come alive for us.”

Red Bull took home four consecutive championships with Sebastian Vettel between 2010 and 2013 and has been determined to return to the top ever since. They went into the 2021 season ready to challenge eight-time world champions, Mercedes. The Milton Keynes-based outfit, however, got off to a bumpy start, coming in second to their rivals in the season opener in Bahrain.

Speaking about their chances in the championship, Horner went on to say:

“If we pull this one off, it will be the biggest thing that we have done in Formula 1. Second’s not part of the plan.”

Verstappen had the pace and was in a position to take victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Red Bull were certain they had it in them to put up a fight against Lewis Hamilton and his team. Eventually, though, the Milton Keynes-based outfit did grab the drivers' championship on the very last lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix later that year.

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Red Bull do not have concerns with the legality of the 2022 Mercedes challenger

Mercedes brought a completely transformed W13 to the track in Bahrain and their ridiculously different sidepod designs have been a topic of conversation throughout the paddock. While Red Bull has been clear that this is an "extreme" solution, they do not see any part of the car as being illegal.

As reported by Motorsport, Christian Horner commented on the new Mercedes car:

“Mercedes has come up with an extreme [solution], that’s a different interpretation. But to answer the next question, whether we think it’s legal or not? Yes, absolutely. It looks like it ticks all the boxes.”

After taking their first drivers' championship since 2013 with Max Verstappen, Red Bull will certainly be looking to retain their position and fight for their fifth constructors' championship this year.