Pink Bull Method 1 workforce boss Christian Horner admitted he felt Max Verstappen’s fourth world championship was trying like a tall order by September’s Italian Grand Prix, within the face of McLaren’s resurgence.
Pink Bull’s RB20 was F1’s strongest automotive within the opening levels of the 2024 season, with it trying possible Verstappen and the workforce would proceed their streak of dominance that noticed the Dutchman win 19 out of twenty-two races in 2023.
However Pink Bull’s flip as F1’s dominant drive got here to an finish at Might’s Miami Grand Prix, when the workforce began combating automotive steadiness. The identical week, McLaren made a leap ahead with a complete improve bundle that noticed Lando Norris win his maiden grand prix.
Verstappen nonetheless managed to win three of the following 4 races, however then started a 10-round winless streak whereas McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all took turns on the entrance and the previous established a constructors’ championship lead it nonetheless holds with two races to go.
However as Verstappen claimed his fourth straight drivers’ title in Las Vegas, workforce principal Horner admitted that he feared the Dutchman’s marketing campaign was collapsing by September’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the place Pink Bull suffered its worst weekend but.
When requested if he agreed with Verstappen’s evaluation that, for 70 % of the 12 months, Pink Bull did not have the quickest automotive, Horner replied: “I might say it is about proper. Since Miami, I might say that was a turning level.
Max Verstappen, Pink Bull Racing, speaks with Christian Horner, Staff Principal, Pink Bull Racing
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
“The automotive was very tough to drive, however he was in a position to adapt and get essentially the most out of it. I believe we have improved it in latter races, however actually round Monza time, it appeared just like the championship was slipping away.
“There was nonetheless a good distance of the championship to go, and we had a big drawback to McLaren, Ferrari and even the Mercedes at that time.”
Whereas Monza was Pink Bull’s lowest ebb on observe, with Verstappen ending 38 seconds behind winner Charles Leclerc in sixth, it additionally supplied the beginning of an answer to remedy the RB20’s steadiness points. Though Pink Bull by no means regained the higher hand on McLaren specifically, Verstappen and the workforce had been in a position to make sufficient progress to stifle Norris’ fightback.
“The engineers have labored tirelessly, and the women and men behind the scenes have labored lengthy hours, early mornings, weekends to maintain getting efficiency to the automotive,” he mentioned.
“For me, an actual turning level was Austin, getting a dash race victory there, getting on the entrance row for the grand prix, the rostrum that he scored there. After which, in fact, Brazil [where Verstappen dominated a wet race from 17th on the grid] was actually the crowning second in lots of respects, it was such an impressive drive that supplied the match level.”
