Horner offers rivals hope of catching Red Bull

Red Bull's advantage in Formula 1 will eventually "diminish" as the regulations mature, believes team boss Christian Horner.

Since the adoption of ground effects in 2022, Red Bull has won 36 of the 42 Grands Prix, including 19 of the 20 held to date in 2023, only fumbling in Singapore where it got the set-up wrong on the dominant RB19.

As is often the case with big rules resets, the big teams steal a march over the midfield, with a period of rule stability often converging the field back together - as was the case over the 2017-2021 generation of cars where Red Bull started well behind Mercedes.

By the end of that generation (extended by one year due to COVID-19), Red Bull was in a position to challenge Mercedes - with Max Verstappen claiming the Drivers' crown in 2021 for the first case of split championships since 2008, with Horner firm that the field will close up, eventually.

Horner: Gap will close

"There are a lot of World Championships that are won in the wind tunnel with the numbers at this time of year," Horner explained to media including RacingNews365.

"We've got a great car, we've got a great basis.

"If we keep evolving it, of course the returns are going to diminish because you are hitting the top of the curve, and will see [the field] concertina up.

"It will get closer and it will stretch us more for sure.

"The team is very, very motivated, and you can see that nobody has let off since we won the championship, and everybody is still on fully on it."