Christian Horner trashes F1’s British bias, claims Red Bull wouldn’t be seen as “bad guys” if they had Lewis Hamilton’s countryman driving

Christian Horner thinks Red Bull are "seen as the bad guys" because they don't have a British driver 'like a certain team in Brackley' - Mercedes.

Christian Horner trashes F1’s British bias, claims Red Bull wouldn’t be seen as “bad guys” if they had Lewis Hamilton’s countryman driving

Christian Horner

Currently, Red Bull are the dominant team in Formula 1. That much is beyond doubt. They won both championships last season, with multiple races to go at that. 2023 has started off fantastically for them as well, with two 1-2 finishes in two races. This means that they’re only one point off the maximum total for the first two races because Zhou Guanyu took the fastest lap in Bahrain. Right now, the team, led by Christian Horner, look good to go all the way again.

Red Bull are an Austrian brand, and the main team roster features Dutch (Max Verstappen) and Mexican (Sergio Perez) drivers. They also race with an Austrian license. So, sometimes, it’s easy to forget that many of the key people in charge are actually British, including Horner and Adrian Newey. Not only that, but the team base is also in England which is the case with many other teams, such as Mercedes (who race with a German license), Aston Martin, and McLaren.

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But it doesn’t seem they are too popular with British fans. Indeed, the fact that Mercedes have two British drivers, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, helps local audiences identify better with them. Sometimes, it seems that Red Bull are even maligned. Horner, who is proud of his contribution to the ‘local community’ (i.e. Milton Keynes) speculates this would be different: “if we had a British driver like a certain team in Brackley. We are too easily seen as the bad guys.” he said, in conversation with The i. The team he’s referring to are obviously Mercedes, whose team base is in Brackley.

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Christian Horner slams “underhand” tactic used by a rival after 2021 cost cap breach

Christian Horner
Christian Horner

The perception of Red Bull as the ‘bad guys’ comes from three notable aspects. One is the fact they are currently dominating the sport. The second is related to the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP controversy, where Lewis Hamilton was jumped in a final racing lap by Max Verstappen. The Race Director, Michael Masi’s actions were deemed “human error” but some fans alleged ‘conspiracy’. The third, of course, comes from their 2021 cost cap breach.

The breach itself was deemed minor, but considering it happened in 2021, some fans wanted a disqualification, and for the title to return to Hamilton. While he accepts the adverse reaction, Christian Horner was not happy with how it was used by their rivals. He said: “It tainted us. These things get used by your rivals. We had one of them contacting our sponsors and partners making suggestions that we would be bringing their brands into disrepute. That was just underhand.”

The controversies are now behind Red Bull, but the effects of the cost cap breach i.e. the penalties imposed on them, are still expected to hit them this season. But it remains to be seen just how hard it will hit them. Right now, it’s all well and good, but their rivals may have a very good chance to catch up soon. Until then, the Milton Keynes-based team have to stretch their advantage on top.

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