Q: Are you surprised by the balance of power emerging this season?
How will it evolve, in your opinion?
A: "That's what we expected. We saw Ferrari in pre-season testing which looked like they had a good car. They made a good step forward with their engine too, so there is no There really isn't a real surprise, we were satisfied with our own performance (until the retirement of the two Red Bulls in the last three laps following a problem with the fuel supply to their engines, editor's note). But I think it will evolve very quickly. The regulations are still very new, so the cars will evolve very quickly and some teams have probably already made changes for the upcoming race.
Q: In the first GPs, you are likely to fight more against Ferrari, especially Charles Leclerc.
Will this fight be different from the one with Mercedes?
A: "We don't underestimate any of our opponents. Ferrari have a great car, they are a great team who have made a good start, they are going to be an important player. Mercedes started in a bad position but they will We are under no illusions, so what we have to do is focus on ourselves, make sure we solve our problems and develop our car as efficiently and quickly as possible.(As for Leclerc) he is one of the best. Formula 1 has a new generation with Max (Verstappen), Charles, Lando (Norris), George (Russell), Pierre (Gasly), Carlos (Sainz) who have a lot of talent and, of course, you also have Lewis (Hamilton) who is still going strong."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner in Jeddah, March 25, 2022 ANDREJ ISAKOVIC AFP
Q: Have you seen any changes in Max Verstappen or the team since his title last year?
A: "Having number one on the car, starting the season as world champion, you could see he was more motivated and hungry than ever (in the first GP) in Bahrain. In many ways it took a pressure off his shoulders but his motivation and thirst for success remain intact (...) It was such an intense year, a superhuman effort by Max and the team to beat Lewis and Mercedes. To achieve this, we obviously developed the car (from 2022) later (...) but what I'm really proud of is to have been immediately operational with a competitive car in a short time time."
Q: There is a lot of talk about the truthfulness of the new season of Netflix's F1 series 'Drive to Survive'.
We see you, for example, riding a horse in the English countryside, which may seem cliché.
Is this image accurate?
Red Bull boss Christian Horner (from the back) talks with his world champion driver Max Verstappen during pre-season testing in Sakhir, March 11, 2022 Giuseppe CACACE AFP / Archives
A: "I don't know if everyone rides in the countryside or if it's just an English thing, but I think the takeaway from Netflix is that they make a TV program and so sometimes it's an interpretation of events. It's about a producer applying their narrative to a story and the whole point of this program is to be appealing to the viewers (...) This obviously does not always reflect reality. It is an interpretation and passages are edited, but it has been a success for F1. Perhaps the purists have a little trouble with certain elements (...) but Netflix is doing a great job for F1."
Interview by Raphaëlle PELTIER
© 2022 AFP