Christian Horner thinks Mercedes had a "hangover" in 2022 from the their epic battle with Red Bull in the previous season.
The 2021 campaign had been signified by an incredible title race between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, which saw both drivers - and teams - frequently fallout as tensions rose. And the conclusion remains etched in controversy, with Verstappen ultimately gifted the crown after the infamous safety car procedure at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
But there was no hint of a two-horse race this time around, with the Silver Arrows notably struggling to get to grips with F1's new era of regulations. George Russell notched their only Grand Prix win in Brazil, as Verstappen romped to the title by a mammoth 146 points.
Asked if he could have envisaged the season panning out as it did, Horner was emphatic with his answer. “You would never have believed it," he told GPFans.
“I think that especially off the back of last year, that took so much energy, last year’s championship, and you could see Mercedes had a hangover from that this year. I am just incredibly proud of the whole team, how it raised the bar again and came back fighting, adapting to the regulations, and being strategically sharp.
“We were on it when we needed to be and both drivers played their part with some massive victories. It was the first time they didn’t have a dominant car, so to be able to beat them last year and to beat them again this year has been an incredible performance.”
It's not all been straightforward for Horner and co mind, having been found guilty of breaching the budget cap in 2021. Despite the Englishman's insistence the allegation was false, Red Bull did ultimately have to admit fault and accept a £6 million fine and 10% reduction in wind tunnel time for 2023.
But he also argued that jealous rivals has pushed an agenda against his team because of their success : "Off-track, we’ve firmly had a target on our back this year," Horner told Autosport. “We’re a race team. We’re not a political organisation.
"We just focus on going racing and we’re hard racers, we push the boundaries, which is what race teams do if they want to succeed. That’s always been our approach. It’s always worked well for us. It’s the way we enjoy competing. At times, it’s felt it has been tough this year. That’s unfortunately Formula 1.”
