Red Bull chief Christian Horner joked abut Ferrari’s porpoising issues saying his foot was tapping more than Charles Leclerc’s helmet. The Briton believes that at the position where Max Verstappen started as the Imola GP, they could only lose.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, the Red Bull CEO joked about Ferrari’s porpoising problem saying:
“My foot was tapping more than Charles Leclerc’s helmet!
As for their own performance, the Briton felt they were lucky to complete the race without any unfortunate incidents and said:
“The problem with a race like that is with the last 10, 15 laps, you can only lose. Then there were reports of weather to come and you can see it’s easy to put a wheel on a wet kerb and it just seems to take forever those last 10, 15 laps, but it’s always a relief to see that chequered flag.”
The Red Bull team chief explained that given the mixed track conditions and the weather, they were lucky they did not have any unfortunate incidents. Horner expressed his relief at both drivers crossing the checkered flag.
Red Bull refuse to write off Mercedes just yet
The Milton Keynes team principal feels that despite Mercedes’ performance woes, he will not underestimate their ability to bounce back. The Red Bull chief believes Lewis Hamilton can’t be written off either, despite his dismal weekend at Imola. Horner feels both could be a factor in the championship at some point in the season.
Commenting on Mercedes and Hamilton’s weekend in Imola, Horner said:
“Lewis had a horrible weekend but he hasn’t forgotten how to drive. Five races ago they were fighting for a World Championship. They will get that car sorted out and he can still be a factor in this championship. We don’t underestimate any of our opponents and all we can do is focus on ourselves and try to ensure we maximise the opportunities and make sure we take them.”
The eight-time champions, who were invincible until last season, have had more than a glitchy start to their 2022 campaign. Although Mercedes are nowhere in the fight at the front, they are also likely to get beaten by their customer team McLaren, who have ironed out their teething issues in terms of performance.