Max Verstappen has been left red-faced by his own team boss, Christian Horner, whose comments from several years ago prove him wrong in a war of words with Lewis Hamilton. Red Bull are once again expected to put on a strong showing in Austria this weekend, with Mercedes still part of the chasing pack.
The Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Sergio Perez have scooped up all eight of the available Grand Prix wins so far in 2023. Six of them are under Verstappen’s belt, with the Dutchman already enjoying a 69-point lead as he powers towards a third consecutive world title.
Ahead of this weekend’s action in Austria, Hamilton has expressed concern over the fact that Red Bull are so far ahead, they can already turn their attention towards developing next year’s car without fear of being caught in the Constructors’ Championship.
“I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing next year’s car,” the seven-time world champion told Sky Sports.
“So August 1, that’s when everybody can start so then no one can get an advantage on the next year, because that sucks. It would make more sense. They should.”
Naturally, Verstappen went on the defensive in response to the comments made by his former foe, claiming that rival teams were forced to stand and watch when Hamilton racked up six titles in seven years between 2014 and 2020.
“We weren’t talking about that when he was winning his Championships, right?” said the Red Bull star. “So I don’t think we should now. That’s how Formula One works. When you have a competitive car it’s great, but at one point you also have to look ahead to the next year.”
However, a look back to 2015 proves Verstappen wrong as Red Bull team principal Horner directly called on the FIA to make it a fairer fight. With Mercedes in full flow at the Australian Grand Prix, he began: “Is it healthy to have a situation like this?
“The FIA, within the rules, have an equalisation mechanism and that needs to be looked at. Take nothing away from Mercedes, they have done a super job.
“They have a good car, a fantastic engine and two very good drivers. The problem is that the gap is so big that you end up with three-tier racing and that is not healthy for Formula One.”
Hamilton, meanwhile, has admitted that he’d willingly give up his pursuit of a race win this season in order to have a car capable of fighting for titles next year. The Brit has gone 18 months without an F1 victory since his triumph in Saudi Arabia in December 2021.
Asked if he can win a Grand Prix before 2023 is up after the first winless season of his career last time out, he said: “I don’t know. I mean I’m trying to win a race, as I said I really have no idea. Depends where the car goes. I think hopefully we will get close but I can’t predict what Aston are going to do, what Ferrari are going to do, where Red Bull are going to be. But I hope so.
“I also hope we don’t focus too much on winning the race this year. I care less to win a race this year and more to win the championship next year.”
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