With the streets of Monte Carlo awaiting racers this weekend, Christian Horner expects another tough attack from McLaren.
Lando Norris walked away with the laurels in Miami just two races ago, while Max Verstappen must have been at his very best this past Sunday to keep the McLaren racer away from the top step of the podium.
“In the last few races, McLaren has definitely been our biggest opponent. Their racing cars boast more oomph and they follow a similar racing approach to us,” admitted the Red Bull team boss.
According to Horner, McLaren can be formidable opponents at any track, even if Red Bull has been swinging the scepter in Monaco in the last few races.
The checkered flag was waved for Verstappen in 2021 and 2023, while teammate Sergio Perez showcased his street racing prowess in 2022.
Perez in particular will be keen to make up for his Imola performance after finishing eighth.
Among other things, the Mexican racer started with hard tires – the majority of racing cars were equipped with medium-type tires at the start – while he also accidentally ran over the gravel in the 18th round.
“I think eighth place was ultimately the best we could do; especially when you look at the lead up to the race,” Perez said.
He believes that Red Bull made a strategic blunder.
“It was a risk and most of the other teams did not follow the approach. However, we hoped that a safety car would help us out at the right time.”
“However, I believe that something similar will not simply happen again. After all, things looked good up until the qualifying round.”
Driver scoring:
- Max Verstappen: 161 points
- Charles Leclerc: 113 points
- Sergio Perez: 107 points
- Lando Norris: 101 points
- Carlos Sainz: 93 points
- Oscar Piastri: 53 points
- George Russell: 44 points
- Lewis Hamilton: 35 points
- Fernando Alonso: 33 points
- Yuki Tsunoda: 15 points
Manufacturer Punctuation:
- Red Bull: 268 points
- Ferrari: 212 points
- McLaren: 154 points
- Mercedes: 79 points
- Aston Martin: 44 points
