Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has rubbed salt into Mercedes’ wounds after a poor opening day of practice this season. Mercedes struggled on Friday in Bahrain, with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton just the ninth-fastest driver on the grid.
Hamilton’s new team-mate George Russell was fourth-quickest behind Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, with reigning champion Max Verstappen out in front. One of Mercedes’ biggest issues appears to be bouncing down the straights caused by the new car regulations.
Horner says Red Bull do not suffer with “porpoising” like Mercedes do, claiming their rivals’ look to face the issue significantly more. He told Sky Sports F1: “I think [Red Bull] to a lesser degree – [Mercedes’] looks particularly aggressive.
“I think the guys have done a good job. We had a fair amount of it in Barcelona but I think we have started to understand it and get on top of it.
“It’s obviously an inherent thing with these regulations. It’s just trying to understand what triggers it and calms that down.
“They are so sensitive to the ride height that the lower you go, the worse it gets.” Horner was then asked if there was advice he could give to Mercedes to overcome the problem.
However, he was understandably not keen to give anything away. Horner replied: “We are very much focused on how we can improve our car.
“So they could be the car to beat tomorrow. We don’t really mind who the competitors are.
“Each of the teams are competitors, but it’s great to see Ferrari back and competitive. They have been a giant that’s been quiet the last couple of years and they were always going to get it together.
“They started very early on this project and they have come out with a great car.”
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