Red Bull 'not quite as dominant as Mercedes', says former F1 world champion as 2022 season comes to an end

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill feels that Red Bull's domination this season does not compare with the kind of domination that Mercedes had at the start of the turbo hybrid era.

When questioned during the telecast on Sky Sports whether Red Bull's domination this season can be compared to what Mercedes had in the first few years of the turbo hybrid era, Hill felt that this was certainly not the case. He said:

"It’s (Red Bull) not quite as dominant as Mercedes were in the shift to the hybrid era. They (Mercedes) were so dominant that they had to kind of underplay it a bit because otherwise people would have ganged up on them."

Hill further said:

"Ferrari weren’t too far away from them at the end. We don’t know how much more they have in hand, but they were pretty close, and also in Brazil last weekend you had Mercedes being competitive in a different set of circumstances."

Red Bull boss Christian Horner was in a buoyant mood after the race and attributed the success to the entire team that was responsible for the amazing season. He said:

"What a year to have been sitting here having won 17 races, two sprint races and five 1-2 finishes, constructors championship and the drivers championship. We ended oh so close to second in the drivers. It's been an amazing year. All the hard work going on behind the scenes and the people you don't see that have put a herculean effort into this championship. It's been immense."

The Red Bull team principal added that there had been a few obstacles along the way for the team, but the team was able to fight it out and win:

"We've had the odd lump or bump over the season, but what we have achieved this season has surpassed what we could have imagined. We went through that pain after a dominant 2013, and with the change of regs in 2014 we were nowhere but we never lost belief and people's heads dropped."

Horner continued:

"A lot of people are with us from 2013 and there are a few people that have joined since then. Everyone has focused on that goal of winning the championship. We did it last year and we've gone a step further to win the constructors and it's a testament to all the hard work after 8 long years."

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Christian Horner commemorates the death of Red Bull founder

The Red Bull boss also spoke about how the team faced quite a few setbacks this season. One of them was losing the team's founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, during the season. Horner said:

"I think last year took every ounce out of energy from everyone in the team and I don't think anyone of us in the team to have experienced before, and this year there has been highs and lows and issues to deal with. The biggest issue was the loss of our founder Dietrich."

Horner further mentioned:

"Formula 1 was his love and he gave so many drivers a chance and us all a chance. To have won this constructors championship, we dedicate it to him for what he has done for us."

Red Bull have secured their first F1 World Constructors' Championship title since 2013. The Austrian team has been dominant this season and will be hoping to take this form forward into next season.