“It’s going to be so tight”: Christian Horner expecting Lando Norris-led McLaren challenging Red Bull in Austria

Christian Horner expects Lando Norris and McLaren to be challenging Red Bull Racing closely at the Austrian GP. Speaking to onsite media after the Spanish GP, the Briton believes that the gap between themselves and their teams will be down to fine margins.

Given that the circuit in Spielberg has a layout similar to the second sector of the Barcelona circuit, it could suit McLaren more than Red Bull. Having missed out on two victories in Canada and Spain, the Woking squad and Norris could be determined to prove a point. However, it is also a track where Ferrari is confident of performing well and so is Mercedes.

The grid converging at a crucial point in the season saw the margins in qualifying to reduce to less than a tenth in Barcelona. Outlining the expectations for the competition in Austria, Horner felt that it was going to be very close between Red Bull and its rivals. He also felt that track limits might not impose issues as there is a gravel trap added to the area.

When asked what he expected in Austria with the competition being so close in Spain, the Red Bull Racing CEO replied:

“I think it's going to be like the Brands Hatch or Indy circuit, where there's going to be half tenths between the drivers. It's going to be on such a short lap. It's going to be so tight so and we expect McLaren and Lando to be fast again, Ferrari, Mercedes who knows."

"If you look at the gap to those guys after the race, they're going to be really, really fast," Horner continued. "It was pretty similar to last year. The one who stepped up is Lando. Obviously, we need to understand where our own deficiencies are and how we can improve.."

Asked if track limits will be an issue, he said:

“I think they put a gravel trap there now. So it will be track litter rather than limits. So hopefully the modifications that have been made, I have been told they'd put a strip of gravel in. So it should deter drivers from going out there.”

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Red Bull Racing CEO welcomes close competition as a result of the grid converging

Red Bull Racing CEO Christian Horner feels the grid converging is a great sign for Formula 1. Reflecting on a conversation with Ron Dennis in the past, he recollected the former McLaren team principal suggesting that stable regulations led to the grid converging.

The 50-year-old believes that 2023 was a standalone year where the Milton Keynes team was able to dominate. He reckons they have had to level up their game to counter the close competition.

Commenting on the close competition in the 2024 season, the Red Bull Racing CEO said:

"You [should] ignore 2023, we had an amazing [year], it was a unicorn, but this is normal. This is Formula 1," said Horner. "It's normal that there's great teams, there's great drivers, and there's going to be competition, which is the benefit of stable regulations. It always converts.

"I remember when I first came into Formula 1, Ron Dennis said to me, ‘If you want close racing’, he argued in a Formula 1 commission meeting, ‘Leave it alone. Just leave it alone, and everything converges’. And that's what we're seeing at the moment, everything converging, and we're going to smash it all up for 2026."

"We're having to fight really hard for the wins at the moment, And we're having to be on the top of our game as a team and the drivers are having to be on the top of this game as well - and that's Formula 1 and it should be.”

Red Bull Racing has currently extended its lead in the constructors championship to 60 points and Max Verstappen has extended his lead in the driver’s championship to 69 points. However, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes are challenging them closely. Mercedes joining the party at the front could help Red Bull defend from Ferrari and McLaren to a certain extent. But they were unable to deliver at a circuit where they were expected to dominate.

The Dutch champion led Norris in the Spanish GP by two seconds, which is a narrow margin considering their dominant pace earlier in the year.