Christian Horner hopes Red Bull can end first half of 2024 on a ‘positive note’ after three winless races

Christian Horner and Red Bull want to head into the summer break with a strong result at the Belgian GP.

Christian Horner hopes Red Bull can end first half of 2024 on a ‘positive note’ after three winless races

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen looked strong after McLaren finished third in the FP2 of the Belgian GP. However, the Dutchman will be carrying a 10-place grid penalty to start on Sunday’s race, due to exceeding the power unit quota. The 26-year-old expressed his satisfaction with the result he brought on Friday. However, team principal Christian Horner claims they have the ability to do even better than that.

Christian Horner during the post practice session interview expressed his hopes about finishing the last race before the summer break on a high note. He mentioned that their performance in Friday’s practice sessions had been very promising as Max Verstappen clinched third place. He highlighted that the team’s performance in the short, fast laps had been very good, and they were also steady during longer Laps that test endurance. Overall, Horner felt positive about their chances based on how they did in practice.

Hopefully we can finish the last race before the summer break on a positive note. We had a good Friday. The short runs looked very good, while the long runs were also okay.
Christian Horner said, as reported by RacingNews365
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Christian Horner mentioned that they still needed to make some adjustments to the car, but overall, the balance seemed pretty good. He highlighted that while there were a few tweaks and fine-tuning to be done, he was generally happy with how the car was handling. The team felt confident about their setup but recognized there was still room for improvement to optimize their performance.

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We still need to adjust a few things, but the balance seems pretty good.
Christian Horner stated.
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Christian Horner and Red Bull prepared for mixed weather conditions at Spa-Francorchamps

Christian Horner mentioned that the team experimented with a different car setup and gathered as much data as possible during the first two practice sessions FP1 and FP2. Essentially, they adjusted various parts of the car to see how it would perform under different conditions. They aimed to understand better how to improve the car’s performance. Collecting a lot of data from these sessions would help Verstappen make more informed decisions for the race.

We tried a different setup and collected as much data as possible.
Christian Horner stated.
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (Via: Imago)

Horner mentioned that it looked like it would rain on Saturday and be dry on Sunday. Because of this, it was important for the team to gather all the data during the Friday practice sessions. They wanted to ensure they had all the information they needed to prepare for both wet and dry conditions. He was pleased that they managed to collect all the necessary data. This would eventually help them make the right adjustments for the race, regardless of the weather.

looks like it will rain on Saturday and dry on Sunday, so it was important to collect all the data now. We managed to do that.
Christian Horner added.

Certainly, Christian Horner believed drivers would face a wet track during Qualifying sessions and dry on the race day. He is optimistic gathering all the important data that would be required to plan their strategy for the weekend. Fans hope the team ends the first half of the season on a good note with both drivers on podium.

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