Lewis Hamilton broke the winning streak of Red Bull boss Christian Horner and his team back in 2014. Since then, they had to wait for seven years to taste either of the two titles – Driver’s World Championship in 2021. From then on, it has been only Red Bull who is the winning constructor as well as Driver’s team. It seems to continue this year as well, with Max Verstappen winning eight already and Red Bull all ten races so far.
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton has been winless since last year. As Red Bull’s Max Verstappen broke Hamilton’s streak in 2021, the rivalry between Red Bull and Mercedes grew even more intense. They never really agree on anything related to the game. However, on one of those rare occasions, Lewis Hamilton agrees with his rival team principal Christian Horner. Both agree that the ground effect regulations are beginning to result in F1 teams converging.
Lewis Hamilton & Christian Horner Agree That New Regulations Are Leading To F1 Teams Converging
The new rules had the aim of bringing teams closer and helping the racers go wheel to wheel regularly. In the second year of the ground effect regulations, the gaps are gradually closing in. Albeit, Red Bull still has a superior pace to other teams. However, teams like McLaren, Aston Martin, and also Ferrari are closing in with Mercedes. Hence, in the current constructor’s title, the second place is up for grabs. Aston Martin has a better chance to beat Mercedes after ten races this year. But Lewis Hamilton is very happy for his former team, McLaren, after their performance in Silverstone. After an exciting battle, McLaren’s Lando Norris was successful in pushing Lewis Hamilton back to P3.
Hamilton recently mentioned that “It took a long time for McLaren to get such improvement in their race performance. Hence, We’ve got to do a much better job.” He believes that the intensity is rising as Alex Albon with Williams performed well; now McLaren and Aston Martin are all closing in. That’s why Hamilton is eager to see how the season pans out at the end. In the same tone, Christian Horner stated that one thing people can expect from the sport is convergence. It is already beginning to happen. But the Red Bull boss told the media that the most important thing to maintain convergence is stability. Hence, what he means is that these regulations must have stability.
Red Bull And Mercedes Generally Never Agrees With Anything
When F1 introduced the cost cap rules, Christian Horner was not very happy as they had to pay a penalty for breaching the limit. However, Toto Wolff of Mercedes mentioned that it is good for the sport to increase competition and make it more fair for all ten teams. But the cost cap era has been more fruitful for Red Bull and Christian Horner. On the other hand, Mercedes is struggling to build a fast car on a limited budget. Moreover, the two teams often argue about certain rules.
For instance, Christian Horner expressed his discomfort with the 2026 engine regulations. In reply, Toto Wolff mentioned, “Surely there are some issues with Red Bull Powertrains or engine partners. That’s why they are complaining so much.” Moreover, Mercedes’s boss mentioned that these engine regulations for 2026 are essential for the environment. On top of that, due to the 2026 regulation, Honda decided to stay, and Audi will enter the sport. More of such arguments frequently happen between the two principals.
