Christian Horner says Red Bull are not focused on Ferrari’s problems with reliability, instead looking inwards to make the most of each weekend without outside factors.
Both Ferrari drivers have suffered two mechanical failures apiece so far this season, with Carlos Sainz having to exit his F1-75 in a hurry in Austria after an engine failure quickly saw his car burst into flames at the side of the track.
The retirement for Sainz ensured Max Verstappen finished second behind Charles Leclerc, grabbing three extra World Championship points he perhaps would not have expected earlier in the race.
Red Bull, meanwhile, had suffered unreliability of their own in the early part of the season with a double retirement in Bahrain followed up with another DNF for Verstappen in Australia.
But while Red Bull have often capitalised on errors or reliability issues from their title rivals this season, their team principal wants to make the most of their own pace each weekend – while being wary of the speed Ferrari possess.
“Not really. We are not too focused on them,” Horner said when asked if Red Bull take comfort in Ferrari’s unreliability, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“We can’t control or contribute to that in any way. I think we have to focus on ourselves and just get the best out of our own package.
“They had a very strong car [in Austria] and they could well have finished first and second.”
Verstappen currently holds a 38-point lead over Leclerc at the top of the standings heading into the French Grand Prix and a 57-point advantage over his team-mate Sergio Perez.
But with the way the season has ebbed and flowed significantly, Horner acknowledged the fight is far from over with half of the season still to unfold.
“Absolutely,” Horner said. “We are just at the halfway point of the championship and things swing around quite a lot.
“There is still an awfully long way to go. I would say Austria was sort of damage limitation as we managed to get pole, the sprint victory and then second place [in the race].
“I think Max only lost five points to Charles in the Drivers’ Championship and obviously damage was relatively contained in the Constructors’.”
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