Although Mercedes have shown themselves to be the top team in Formula 1 in recent years, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes his team have shown in the past that hard work will eventually lead them to the summit. Max Verstappen ended the 2020 campaign in dominant fashion, finishing well clear of rivals Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. The victory was a rare one for teams other than Mercedes, as the German manufacturer took top spot at 13 of the 17 events. While Red Bull finished well behind Mercedes in the constructors' standings, Horner is confident his side have what it takes to beat their rivals - something they've shown themselves to be capable of in the past. "Mercedes are a very rounded team, and they've been solid for a long time now - and all credit to them for the records that they've broken with seven successive championships," Horner told Autosport Magazine. "But I think we have been the most consistent challenger over the past seven years. We've managed to win races in six of those seven years. "And it's important for us to keep trying to be better in every area. Mercedes is quite a machine, but we've demonstrated that you can beat them - by working hard, by applying yourself to the task in hand. "I think that they will be tremendously motivated because of that last race in Abu Dhabi and I expect that Toto has used that, and James Allison [too], to come up with an even more competitive car for this year. "So, we don't in any way underestimate the might of Mercedes. But we've always been a been a challenger. Our objective is, as I say, to take the lessons that we learned in 2020 into 2021. And hopefully RB16B will be a good evolution. "Mercedes are the clear favourites with seven consecutive titles but we are excited about the challenge this season and won't give up in our hunt for a fifth title."
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