But will Red Bull, with their struggling Renault power unit, even manage to
make it out of the first round of qualifying, usually reserved for the
minnows of Formula One?
“To be honest with you, we have no real idea. We know we don’t have the pace
to challenge the Mercedes teams at the moment, but it’s very much a case of
see where we are in Melbourne. Then we know the scale and magnitude of what
we have to climb.
“We don’t even know our starting point at the moment, so it’s impossible to
make predictions sitting here in Milton Keynes a week prior to the first
race. But I have every confidence in the team, and in Renault, that we can
make it. Our target is (to catch up) as soon as possible.”
The relish with which Red Bull’s woes have been greeted in some quarters, and
the rapidity with which they have been written off, is perhaps a partly
understandable response to their dominance in 2013, but given the size of
their burgeoning trophy cabinet, and the quality of their 500-strong
workforce, it would seem premature.
As the 40 year-old points out: “We have enjoyed great success in the last five
years, and we’ve got a very talented group of people. It’s exactly the same
group of people designing the current car. I don’t think we’re paying too
much attention to what people are saying.
“You don’t become idiots overnight. We’ve got a very strong group of people
here. There’s a real determination. You only have to look at the amount of
hours going in. It’s massive.
“Some superhuman efforts are going in to get on top of the issues, to try and
ensure we’re in as good a shape as we can be in Melbourne and build from
there. It’s a marathon of a grand prix season, rather than a sprint.”
You also do not get into a position to dominate Formula One without knowing
how to play the game, and Horner is astute enough not to rise to the
rhetoric of recent weeks, while engaging in the occasional slice of Jose
Mourinho-esque mind games, declaring Mercedes the favourites.
“This is not my toughest challenge. There have been bigger ones, like building
a successful team. At the end of the day, no other team has won a race since
July last year, so it’s not as if we don’t have the depth of expertise here
to get on top of these issues.”
But perhaps, given some of the noises emanating from Red Bull and the other
Renault-powered teams about the French manufacturer’s preparation, the world
champions’ predicament should not come as a huge surprise.
F1 is emphatically an engine formula once more, and it is one Renault are
clearly taking the most time to adapt to. Occasional references to Renault
“starting their programme later than others”, or being behind with their
energy recovery system, tell you all you need to know.
Despite initially being “too aggressive” on engine cooling, Horner is adamant
that Adrian Newey and his team have essentially built a good car.
“We can see that the car has great potential. We know that the car
fundamentally is quick. It’s just going to take time to exploit the most of
that, and integrate the engine and extract the most out of it. What we are
seeing is that minor problems cause major disruptions. Individually, they
are not enormous problems to solve.”
As is the way in Formula One, rumours have already begun to circulate of a
souring in the relationship between Red Bull and their engine suppliers,
Renault, as well as their supposed desire to switch to Honda in 2016.
Horner hesitates ever so slightly on the former, but he eventually declares:
“There’s still a huge amount of trust. We’re certainly not looking outside
the current agreement we have.”
The speculation also extends to Horner’s own position. With doubts growing
over Bernie Ecclestone’s future as Formula One’s ringmaster, Horner has been
widely tipped as the man to succeed him. His response? “It’s very flattering,
but I think I’ve got enough on my mind at the moment.”
At least Horner does not have to include appeasing a disgruntled driver as one
of his problems. He insists that Vettel “has not had one raised word this
winter”, despite some reports of disquiet behind the scenes.
But regardless of Vettel’s talents – Horner says the 26 year-old has “nothing
to prove” to those who claim he has not won in an uncompetitive car – it
seems there will be little the German can do next weekend in Melbourne. “The
likelihood is in Melbourne it’s going to be a struggle for us, but it’s a
long season.”
While Horner will not engage in these kind of predictions, if Red Bull can
turn it around in 2014, it will be his and the team’s greatest achievement.
Their doubters and detractors would quickly disappear.