"We went through pain" - Red Bull ecstatic with return to top after being 'nowhere' with F1 regulation changes

Red Bull boss Christian Horner was extremely happy with his team's win in the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi.

Double world champion Max Verstappen dominated from the front, while his teammate Sergio Perez finished in P3. Pleased with his team's exploits, Horner told Sky Sports that it was painful to see his team's struggles since 2014 (change of regulations), while Mercedes continued to run away with titles.

The Red Bull boss said:

"We went through pain. In 2014 with the change of regulations, we were nowhere. We never lost belief. People's heads dropped but you have to keep a focus on the target. Everyone has kept focussed on the challenge of getting back into a winning position. We did it last year and this year we have gone a step further. To get the constructors' title back after eight very long years is testament to dedication and belief."

Talking about the 2022 season, the Red Bull boss put down the team's success to teamwork that helped make the success a reality. He said:

"What a year! It has been an amazing year for the team. The hard work behind the scenes, all the people you don't get to see that have put in a herculean effort. It has been immense. We have had lumps and bumps along the way, but you look what we have achieved, it has surpassed anything we could have believed or imagined or achieved ourselves."

Horner dedicated the championship to Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz who expired this year. He said:

"Last year took every ounce of energy out of every member of the team. This year has had highs and lows and issues to deal with. We have had to deal with the loss of our owner Dietrich Mateschitz. F1 was his passion. He gave so many drivers a chance; he gave us a chance. We have to dedicate this championship to him."

Red Bull aggregated a record tally of 759 points, with Verstappen accounting for 429 of them.

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Max Verstappen expects Red Bull to face stern test in 2023

Talking about next season, Red Bull's double world champion Max Verstappen said that the competition would be much sterner next season as the teams begin to understand the regulations better.

He said:

"I do think it will be closer. People are understanding the cars a lot more. And, yeah, over time all the teams will just edge closer. But from our side, yeah, it's been a really positive weekend. So that's, of course, really encouraging also for next year."

He continued:

"But we also know now, over the winter, we really have to keep pushing and keep trying to find performance and not only performance, understanding, possibly the tyres even more, because the tyres will change a bit for next year. So yeah, let's see how we are going to manage all of that."

The 2022 season saw total domination from the German team, which the team will look to continue next season as well.