“Can’t be that defeatist,” Christian Horner gives stern verdict for Red Bull after Chinese GP

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner remained undeterred despite Max Verstappen's underwhelming weekend at the Chinese GP.

“Can’t be that defeatist,” Christian Horner gives stern verdict for Red Bull after Chinese GP

Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (via F1)

Red Bull Racing suffered another disappointing weekend at the Chinese GP. Max Verstappen simply didn’t have the pace to be a real contender for victory while Liam Lawson failed to even make a mark over the course of the race. Now, team boss Christian Horner has asserted that the Austrian team was not going to give up just yet.

Milton Keynes headed to Shanghai after a mixed bag at the Australian GP. Max Verstappen was in contention for victory, opening the door for a potential title challenge this season. Unfortunately, the pace did not translate in China with the reigning world champion bringing home a fourth-place finish on Sunday.

YouTube video

Christian Horner made it clear that this was just the second race of the season. He pointed out that Red Bull could not have a defeatist mentality already, with over twenty races to go. Moreover, Horner insisted that it was all to play for in the fight for the world championship. As the top four teams are closely-packed upfront.

It’s race 2, we can’t be that defeatist. It’s all to play for, what last year has shown.

Christian Horner said post-race

Moreover, the Briton insisted that the championship is won by the team who finishes a season strong. The Red Bull boss asserted that Milton Keynes has a lot of depth in terms of personnel. Thus, Red Bull will be working around the clock to get back to winning ways.

You can start strong but it’s how you finish. We have great strength and depth in the company working to find more performance.

Christian Horner added

Red Bull facing Liam Lawson dilemma

Red Bull Racing promoted Liam Lawson to replace Sergio Perez for the 2025 season. The Kiwi driver was tasked with matching Max Verstappen at the front every race, something that Perez had failed to do. However, Lawson so far not met expectations.

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson (via Red Bull)

The 23-year-old has had two dismal weekends in a row this season, failing to even break into the top 10. This has only made matters worse for Red Bull as Max Verstappen is yet again the sole driver fighting for podiums. Rumors have emerged that Christian Horner’s squad can demote Lawson as early as the next race in Japan.

Horner admitted that Red Bull needs both cars at the front of the grid to maximize performances. The 51-year-old made it clear that the team needs both Verstappen and Lawson to be fighting for victories to ensure it has a shot at the constructors’ title. Milton Keynes lost last year’s championship largely due to Perez’s failure to match Verstappen.

You will always aim for more performance. We know we have performance to find,but you need both cars up there. Collectively we need both drivers up there if we want to fight in the constructors.

Christian Horner explained

Liam Lawson might be forced to vacate his seat for Yuki Tsunoda if he continues to underperform. However, it is unlikely that Red Bull will make such a decision so early into the season. Nevertheless, Milton Keynes is known to be ruthless over its driver calls and fans should not be surprised if they see Lawson get pushed back to Racing Bulls in the coming weeks.