Red Bull clinched both championships in 2022, courtesy of Max Verstappen’s record 15 wins, with the Dutchman also clinching his second drivers’ title.
Sergio Perez finished third in the championship to take home two wins and help Red Bull clinch the Constructors’ title with three races to go.
But Red Bull’s season hasn’t been without its drawbacks, particularly when the Milton Keynes-based team was handed a $7m fine and reduced aerodynamic testing for the next 12 months following last year’s budget cup overrun. year.
Later in the season the team also contested the changes to the aerodynamic rules in reaction to the porpoising issue, believing the move was made to help a ‘certain team’.
Asked by Motorsport.com if 2022 has been one of the toughest political seasons he has faced in F1, Christian Horner replied: “Off the track, we had a target on our back this year.”
“We are a racing team, not a political organisation. We just focus on going racing and pushing ourselves to the limit, which is what F1 teams do if they want to be successful.”
“That’s always been our approach. It’s always worked well for us and it’s the way we like to race. This year has been tough at times. Unfortunately, Formula 1 is like that.”
Red Bull have had a difficult start to the season having suffered three retirements in the first three races, including a double retirement in the first round in Bahrain.
The team, however, recovered quickly in the fight against Ferrari and then managed to prevail in the second half of the season thanks to constant development of the RB18 which guaranteed real dominance on the track.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Erik Junius
According to Horner, the one-two obtained by Red Bull at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix represented an important moment to put pressure on Ferrari, after the Maranello team had taken the lead in both championships.
“Our team has done an extraordinary job, presenting such a competitive car and recovering from a double retirement in Bahrain on the day Ferrari scored one-two.”
“We have never lost sight of our goal. The one-two obtained at Imola allowed us to put pressure on Ferrari and not give it any breathing room”.
“We have continued to develop the car effectively, managing to lose some weight. And then Max has been in fantastic form this year. If we think back to some races in 2022, the first few were so closely contested with Ferrari as the one in Miami, Saudi Arabia and even Bahrain”.
“It’s been an incredible season for us.”
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