“Marathon, not a sprint,” Christian Horner remains optimistic over Red Bull’s pace despite disappointing Monaco GP

Red Bull found itself on the backfoot at the Monaco GP. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez proved no match for the pace of Ferrari and McLaren. Verstappen could only manage a sixth place finish in the race with Perez being involved in a massive crash. However, Christian Horner signaled that he was not worried about the team’s performance just yet.

Christian Horner claimed that Red Bull did not suddenly have a bad car. As the RB20 remained one of the fastest cars on the grid. The Red Bull team boss highlighted the upcoming four races which could potentially showcase the real pace of the car after the unique track of Monaco.

It's not as if we suddenly have a bad car. We have Canada, Spain, Austria and Silverstone coming up.

Christian Horner told Telegraaf.nl

Moreover, Christian Horner affirmed that the 2024 F1 season was a marathon, not a sprint. Similar to Lewis Hamilton‘s words during his historic title battle against Max Verstappen in 2021. Nevertheless, with 16 races to go, Red Bull surely has ample time to turn the tide back in its favor. Horner mentioned that it would be interesting to see how the RB20 behaves in the resurfaced tarmac at the Canadian GP.

Let's see how we are after that - it's a marathon, not a sprint. Canada's track has been resurfaced, we'll see what that does to the balance of the car.

Christian Horner affirmed

Christian Horner reveals the ‘most important’ aspect of 2026 cost cap

The 2026 cost cap has been a topic of major debate in the F1 paddock. The sport is ready to make some changes after understanding the impact of the cost cap introduced in 2021. Capital Expenditure or CapEx could be uncapped altogether to allow smaller teams such as Williams to invest in infrastructure to be on par with the top teams.

Christian Horner highlighted that the most important thing for the cost cap should be that the employees do not suffer from this rule. The Briton pinpointed that a technical director would always prefer a front-wing to a Christmas party if the party’s cost was included in the cost cap. As such, the sport needed to find the right balance to ensure that employees do not bear the brunt.

What I think is the most important thing for 2026 is that the employees don't bear the brunt of those changes... For example, does a Christmas party actually make your car go faster? Now, if that is to be included in the cap, of course, every technical director is going to want a front wing as opposed to a Christmas party.

Christian Horner told F1 TV

?️ | Christian Horner on the purposed budget cap increase with more elements included

"I think it's a matter of striking a balance. There's been a huge amount of learning through the cost cap. What I think is the most important thing for 2026 is that the employees don't bear the… pic.twitter.com/ga5nruqDQn

— RBR News ???? (@redbulletin) May 28, 2024

Certainly, the 2026 cost cap would play a significant role on the pecking order. F1 needs to ensure a level-playing field for all teams without compromising on leisure activities on employees. However, it remains to be seen when F1 and the teams finalize the new cap for the sport’s new era.

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