Christian Horner poked fun at Ferrari amid the impending departure of team boss Mattia Binotto as he looked ahead to what the 2023 Formula 1 season might hold.
His Red Bull outfit is the team to beat after a stellar year in 2022. They and Max Verstappen won both title comfortably and with several races to go, with Mercedes well off the pace for most of the campaign and Ferrari flattering to deceive after a promising start.
During a Q&A at a charity event at their team base, attended by Mirror Sport , Horner was asked if he believes anyone can topple them in 2023. He replied by insisting he does not expect an easy ride next season – but couldn't resist a little joke at the expense of Ferrari, whose team principal Binotto has resigned.
"Well, Ferrari have just fired most of their team," he said with a smile, sparking a ripple of laughter among the guests. He then added. "But they had a good, competitive car this year. Mercedes have not enjoyed playing a background role in this year's championship, so for sure the motivation will be there to get back into a winning position.
"They're a strong team, a quality team and they've got very strong drivers, so I expect Mercedes to be back in in next season as a strong contender. McLaren are going through some changes, Alpine have made a step up and Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso, could be interesting. So there's lots of movement going on around the field."
Answering a separate but similar question about how he and his team can remain so motivated after such a dominant season, the 49-year-old added: "Winning is like an addiction, and once you stop winning you want to start to win again – that feeling is something everyone in the factory has now experienced.
"It's almost the fear of failure which drives you on. We've got a great base from which to work next year. We've got some formidable opponents who we're up against, but the motivation in the factory is sky high off the back of a year like we've just had.
"It's a very short winter before we're up an running again, and the factory is burning the midnight oil. You never rest on your laurels. You're always looking for that next bit of performance – how can be improve our operations and the car? How can we better support our drivers?
"It's never enough, and of course we've got some massive competitors who are going to be turbocharged over the winter having taken a bit of a drubbing this year. They are going to want to come back and give us a hard time next year, so complacency has no place in F1."
