Red Bull boss Christian Horner knows that his team’s car is the fastest car on the grid at present. Every team has their eyes on the RB19. Everybody wonders how Red Bull is so successful under the cost cap era when others are struggling. Especially the rival, Mercedes, has lost its grip on the title. They cannot figure out a way to build a championship-winning car anymore. On the other hand, the Austrian team has blown away everybody with their car design and pace.
Hence, there are teams who are trying to copy the same design to excel in the races this season. For instance, after the British Grand Prix, Mercedes claimed that McLaren copied the rear end and side pods from RB19. Boss Christian Horner also agreed that McLaren did copy their design. Lando Norris driving the MCL60, took giant strides in Silverstone as he beat Lewis Hamilton to finish at P2. Previously in the Austrian Grand Prix, Norris finished 4th, whereas Lewis Hamilton finished 8th. Although Christian Horner accepted when he asserted that it makes sense when other teams are copying their car’s design.
Christian Horner Says MCL60’s Philosophy And Design Resembles Their RB19
Everybody is noticing the improvement in McLaren’s performances in the last two races. Moreover, it is a fact that McLaren finished the closest to Red Bull this season. At the British Grand Prix, McLaren’s Lando Norris finished only 3.7 seconds slower than Max Verstappen. That is the smallest gap so far. Christian Horner looks at it in a positive way, saying, “It, of course, makes sense that they will copy our philosophy and design. After all, when something is working so well like ours.” Moreover, Christian Horner mentioned that other than McLaren, many teams are copying RB19.
The Red Bull boss also mentioned that when other teams copy them and get results, it makes things easier for them. Moreover, Christian Horner mentioned that it is interesting to see how the change of the mutual power relation keeps happening. On the other hand, Horner seemed pleased after equalling McLaren in 1988, winning 11 in a row. Adding to that, he mentioned, Red Bull has won 20 of the last 21 races, which is phenomenal.
McLaren Team Principal Hits Back At Mercedes And Red Bull
However, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella mentioned that there is a difference between copying blindly and taking inspiration from. The McLaren boss mentioned that every team takes inspiration from fellow team members in some way or the other. In response to their suppliers, McLaren’s boss mentioned that the most important thing to do is to understand which concept is working, as some have potential.
It can help teams develop their cars as fast as they want and for the longest time possible. For the engines, the Austrian team must thank their partner till 2026, Honda. But for the design, the Chief Technology Officer, Adrian Newey, deserves special mention. When the crane lifted Sergio Perez’s car in Monaco, everybody was taking pictures of the floor of the RB19 car. It is undoubtedly a unique design, and it is working for the Milton Keynes team pretty well.
