Ben Hunt: Red Bull CAN be ‘Invincibulls’ and win EVERY race this term as Verstappen turns F1 season into procession
CHRISTIAN HORNER says there is no way his Red Bull team can win every race this season — but I’m not too sure.
After Max Verstappen’s dominant win in the rain-hit Monaco GP on Sunday, I asked him whether he felt it was achievable to win all the remaining 16 races having already wrapped up the first six.
“You are trying to get me to do an Arsene Wenger here aren’t you?” he replied, with reference to the former Arsenal manager, who guided the Gunners through the 2003-2004 Premier League season without a single defeat.
Wenger’s side, whose record was 49 games unbeaten, are known as ‘The Invincibles’.
But Horner is definitely in with a great chance to make his own, shall we call them, ‘Invincibulls’.
His point is that in F1 racing there is “so much jeopardy” — pointing to the weather in Monaco and highlighting that the “competition is so strong”.
But really, Red Bull and 25-year-old driver Verstappen were a class above everyone else involved last weekend.
Verstappen mastered qualifying, and while the rain did make some drama, he had pulled out such a huge gap over Fernando Alonso, it was not what you could call close.
Where I do agree with the Red Bull boss is that Monaco needs changing if it wants to retain its place on the F1 calendar.
Yes, there is all the history and it clearly appealed to the TikTok generation of ‘influencers’ who were chauffeured and ferried into the Principality with their mobiles at the ready.
But the reality is, with F1 having dull races in Azerbaijan and Miami in the two GPs before this, they needed to have some exciting racing, but there wasn’t any until the rain — and that was only due to human error.
Horner said: “The problem we have is the cars are so big now that all venues have to evolve a little.
“I think it would be great if there was just one area where we could create a bit of space for an overtake.
“I’m sure with the creativeness there is, and the amount of land they’re reclaiming [from the sea around Monaco], there’s got to be the opportunity to squeeze in a bigger braking zone.
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“Maybe they can extend the circuit? If there is an opportunity to add another kilometre and a hairpin, that would be phenomenal.
“It is something maybe to contemplate when you think of the next 20 years of Monaco. You don’t want to see it left behind.”
I guess the same can be said about his rivals.
CHEEKY Christian Horner pinched Toto Wolff’s electric scooter as the two battled through the crowds in Monaco.
While the Mercedes boss was stopped for selfies, Red Bull supremo Horner seized the chance to nick his ride.
WHILE the Monaco GP was in danger of being a dullard, the Indy 500 was a thriller – even if it was a bit like banger racing.
There were crashes after crashes bringing out the red flags – I was wondering if it would ever end.
Eventually Josef Newgarden was crowned the winner and clinched the first prize worth around £2.5 million.
ORGANISERS of the Isle of Man TT race have introduced a new safety management system for this year’s race.
Six riders were killed last year and changes have been made including digital red flags screens, more fast-response vehicles and a redesigned Race Control building.
Practice for this year’s race kicked off yesterday and there will also be an additional Riders’ Briefing midway through qualifying week.
CELEBRITY chef Wolfgang Puck has devised a menu for Aston Martin’s VIP guests.
Fittingly, the Austrian-American honed his skills at Monaco’s prestigious Hotel des Paris, which overlooks the circuit.