Red Bull boss Christian Horner has cited McLaren’s unique front wing design as a potential area it has exploited to become the benchmark team in Formula 1 in 2024.
McLaren dominated proceedings on F1’s return at Zandvoort last weekend as Lando Norris turned pole position into a dominant 22-second win over Max Verstappen.
The Woking-based squad has reduced the gap to Red Bull to 30 points with an upgraded MCL38 car that Norris has admitted should be heralded as the best package.
McLaren has managed to topple a Red Bull team which appeared unstoppable earlier in the campaign when Verstappen cruised to four victories in the first five races.
Verstappen, who hasn’t won in five races, has lamented balance issues with the RB20 over recent times and has conceded that it has become “more difficult to drive.”
But while he has admitted that the team has problems to resolve to stem its dwindling points advantage, Horner is adamant that Red Bull can regain its previous level.
“Well it just shows that things can move very quickly,” Horner told media including Motorsport Week post-race.
“We were winning races by 20, 25 seconds, and Stefano [Domenicali, F1 CEO] was asking us to slow down in the first five races.
“And then it can change very quickly, and that means it can change back the other way as well.
“We know we’ve got an issue, you can hear that Max certainly today, he didn’t feel the car was responding to what he wanted.
“I think we’ve obviously got to be able to manifest that into a set-up that works these tires across all conditions.
“McLaren did that with Lando today. We weren’t able to, but we limited the damage by, if you can’t win it, finish second.”
Red Bull accelerated an upgrade package to Hungary which failed to deliver on expectations and prompted Verstappen to claim that “some people need to wake up.”
But Horner has denied that Red Bull has ventured down the wrong avenue with development and has instead acknowledged that its rivals have made greater strides.
“I think it’s more where have the others found performance?” Horner stated when asked about whether Red Bull has hit a ceiling with the RB20.
“I think [the] front wing is a key area where others have found some performance.”
Horner has suggested that it is no coincidence that McLaren and Mercedes have ran similar-looking front wings and have won the previous five races between them.
Asked whether there was scope to replicate the gains its competitors have found, Horner replied: “I think that the way the front wings are being used are quite different.
“If you look at the front wing angle of McLaren and Mercedes, they’re very, very different. Very different to that rest of the grid.”
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