P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The Red Bull Team Principal admits he was shocked when Mercedes emerged from winter at the start of the season with a similar design for the W14.
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner expressed surprise that Mercedes continued with their unsuccessful car design at the beginning of the 2023 season. Despite being fierce rivals, Mercedes struggled to match Red Bull’s performance with their W14, which left them winless for the first time since 2011. Halfway through the year, Mercedes opted to change their approach and adopt a downwash design similar to Red Bull and Ferrari, resulting in improved results and more podium finishes for Lewis Hamilton. Horner noted that he expected Ferrari to be strong contenders given their successful car in the previous year, but was surprised that Mercedes stuck with their unsuccessful concepts. While Red Bull felt confident about their car’s performance after the Bahrain race, it was only after racing at different circuits like Melbourne that they realized the extent of their success.
