Christian Horner and Crimson Bull count on 2024 F1 area to ‘converge’ after record-breaking Max Verstappen season

Max Verstappen and Crimson Bull had been completely dominant in F1 2023; Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin are all trying to get nearer subsequent 12 months after every difficult at completely different factors within the season; watch the entire 2024 F1 season stay on Sky Sports activities F1

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says his staff are ‘aiming for the celebrities’, however admits they have to be practical of their expectations in 2024.

Crimson Bull boss Christian Horner expects the 2024 System 1 area to shut up after his staff’s record-breaking marketing campaign this 12 months.

Max Verstappen gained an unprecedented 19 races from 22 occasions, a profitable share of 86 per cent, and Crimson Bull completed one-two within the Drivers’ Championship for the primary time.

The Milton Keynes-based staff did not win only one race, the Singapore Grand Prix which noticed Carlos Sainz take victory, and Verstappen was usually unchallenged on some weekends.

Since F1 launched new floor impact rules in 2022, Crimson Bull have gained each championship and their dominance started in the course of that season after Ferrari’s early title problem pale away.

Ferrari had been the staff closest to Crimson Bull on the finish of 2023 however McLaren, Mercedes and Aston Martin additionally obtained shut at numerous factors throughout the 12 months.

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Crimson Bull boss Christian Horner expects their rivals to be extra aggressive subsequent season and insists his staff can’t afford to face nonetheless.

“No person stands nonetheless. We have an important foundation, so it is extra evolution [of the car] than revolution. However I am positive it should converge a bit subsequent 12 months, so we won’t relaxation on our laurels,” Horner advised Sky Sports activities Information on the Autosport Awards.

“They [competitors] are all nice groups. McLaren’s kind on the again finish of the season, Ferrari, Mercedes. These huge groups are going to be popping out all weapons blazing subsequent 12 months.”

Wolff confirms ‘fully new automotive’ for Mercedes

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Karun Chandhok, Ted Kravitz and Bernie Collins talk about which drivers impressed essentially the most this season past Max Verstappen.

Mercedes completed runners-up to Crimson Bull within the Constructors’ Championship however went winless in a season for the primary time since 2011.

Lewis Hamilton hasn’t gained since December 2021 on the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and performed down his probabilities to problem for the title subsequent 12 months.

There was a glimmer of hope for Mercedes when Hamilton took pole place in Hungary and confirmed sturdy tempo within the second half of the season however Toto Wolff feels his staff have an enormous deficit to shut.

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Ted Kravitz, Bernie Collins and Karun Chandhok look again at their favorite races of the season.

“A brand new season begins with a very new automotive, and that offers alternatives but additionally dangers,” stated Wolff.

“I believe we have to be practical. We’re aiming for the celebrities, however we completed solely second towards a staff who was outperforming all people else.

“I’ve at all times stated it is a meritocracy and one of the best driver and automotive wins. Due to this fact, we now have to get our act collectively, and I hope it is us [to put Red Bull under pressure].”

What are McLaren’s probabilities?

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McLaren boss Zak Brown is hoping for a powerful begin to the brand new season as they goal to slim the hole on the Crimson Bulls in 2024.

McLaren made exceptional progress all through 2023 after beginning the season as one of many worst automobiles by way of tempo on the Bahrain Grand Prix.

An enormous improve forward of the Austrian Grand Prix in July noticed them leap up the pecking order and Lando Norris led the early phases of the British GP on residence soil at Silverstone.

Norris’ 4 consecutive podiums and Oscar Piastri’s Dash win in Qatar have given McLaren loads of hope to proceed their upward curve into 2024.

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Relive the ten most dramatic crashes from this 12 months’s System One season.

“We hope to start out the season the place we completed off. It will be attention-grabbing to see the place all people begins subsequent 12 months, however we’re feeling good about our improvement,” stated McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

“I believe we discovered so much this 12 months, so I anticipate a a lot stronger begin to 2024 than we had in 2023.”

Piastri’s spectacular rookie marketing campaign and Norris’ consistency has made McLaren a real pressure once more for the primary time in over a decade.

Brown thinks the staff have a driver pairing which may problem for the title.

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Ted Kravitz and Karun Chandhok talk about Max Verstappen’s dominance of the 2023 F1 season.

“I believe he [Oscar Piastri] already is [challenging Lando Norris], which is nice to have the motive force line-up that we now have,” Brown stated.

“We take a look at what we should be a world championship staff once more, you must have two nice drivers, and we’re snug we are able to tick that field.

“It is bizarre, on Max’s [Verstappen] stage, there’s by no means been a much less aggressive season, however behind Max, there’s by no means been a extra aggressive season. The grid was unbelievably shut.

“We had 5 groups with seven or extra podiums, which is a document. So there was one automotive which was uncompetitive with the remainder of the sector, and the remainder of the sector is unbelievably aggressive. I am not frightened about that.”

24 races in 2024! Watch each spherical of subsequent season stay on Sky Sports activities F1, beginning with the Bahrain Grand Prix from February 29-March 2. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW