The Australian Grand Prix gave Red Bull Racing plenty to smile about, with Max Verstappen grabbing second place and some valuable points. Sure, McLaren had a clear edge for much of the race, but team boss Christian Horner believes the RB21 has the right foundation to catch up to their rivals.
Horner explained their unusual approach to pre-season testing after the rain-soaked Melbourne race.
“We did some big set-up changes in Bahrain. We purposely wanted to go to extremes to understand the setup parameters so that you’ve got your toolbox of knowledge when you go racing,” he told reporters.
The team boss sees major improvements in their new car compared to last year’s model.
“I think the characteristics this car has is much calmer than RB20,” Horner said. “There’s not the nasty snaps that there was on RB20.”
This more predictable handling gives the team confidence.
“That gives us a good dynamic platform for us to develop the car through the season, through all the different races that we’re going to head to.”
## Tire troubles won’t last
McLaren clearly had the upper hand with tire management in Melbourne, keeping their rubber alive much longer than Red Bull could.
But Horner isn’t worried.
“When you’ve got a car that’s very well balanced, the whole world looks different,” he explained, suggesting improvements are coming in this area.
Despite finishing behind McLaren, Horner feels positive about their position.
“For us, I think it’s a very solid start to what’s going to be a marathon of a year.”
With 20+ races still to go, Red Bull has plenty of time to close the gap to their rivals.
