“Monza was the lowest point for Red Bull, I was scared”: Christian Horner’s confession. Christian Horner reflects on the Red Bull difficulties that reached their lowest point in Italy.

Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, is overjoyed after Max Verstappen’s fourth world title, which came after a series of difficulties that reached their lowest point in Italy, at the Monza GP. It seems that the weekend at the Autodromo could have been a breaking point for Red Bull.

In the end, the Dutch driver secured his title, despite his car repeatedly showing signs of fragility and, many times, being outperformed by McLaren and even Ferrari. For this reason, at one point, hopes of defending the title seemed very remote.

“The car was very difficult to drive, but he managed to adapt and get the most out of it. I think we’ve improved it in the last races, but around Monza, it definitely seemed like the championship was slipping away, and there was nothing more we could do,” Christian Horner said after the Las Vegas GP.

Miami, Monza, and Austin: Key moments according to Christian Horner
“At that point, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes were much further ahead than us. There was still a long way to go, and we were at a clear disadvantage,” added Red Bull’s team principal. In Monza, Max Verstappen finished nearly 40 seconds behind Charles Leclerc, the race winner.

At that point, such a gap and such clear numbers had thrown Red Bull into what seemed like a dead-end. However, that low point also marked a turning point, as from there, they were able to improve the balance of the RB20.

Then, the victory in the Austin Sprint gave Verstappen the boost he needed, and the masterpiece in Interlagos was the real momentum for his final world title win. “But let’s not forget that, as Max said, Red Bull did not have the best car for 70% of the season. That makes his triumph even more memorable,” Christian Horner concluded.