Red Bull not 'scared' by clear McLaren advantage – Horner

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted that McLaren's pace in the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend does not "scare" them. 

Lando Norris cruised to a comfortable victory in Zandvoort ahead of Max Verstappen, who finished 22.9s adrift of the British driver. 

It was the biggest winning margin by a non-Red Bull driver since Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, whilst it was also the biggest winning margin of the season.

Norris' victory has reduced Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 70 points, with Red Bull now only leading McLaren by 30 in the constructors'. 

Verstappen had taken the lead on the opening lap but was later overtaken with ease by Norris before the McLaren driver cruised into the distance. 

It was a statement win by Norris, yet it is not one which scares Horner, who noted the importance of scoring big points when the car is not performing in the correct window.

"I think that you got to drive with the championship in mind," Horner told select media including RacingNews365. 

"And there's been, what, seven different race winners this year. So, if you can't win, then you've got to be scoring the points. 

"And I think that, obviously it's not nice to be beaten by 22 seconds, but it just shows when you get things right in your car, in the window, as we saw earlier in the year, that kind of result is is possible. 

"So it doesn't scare us in any way. It just focuses the mind that, okay, we need to turn this around. We need to get it right."

Verstappen's 'mature' driving

It was unlike Verstappen to allow Norris past so easily, with the Dutchman having been criticised for his risky defending and overtaking in Hungary recently. 

Since Verstappen's incident-packed Hungarian Grand Prix, he has been a calmer figure in the car during recent races in Belgium and the Netherlands. 

Prior to last Sunday, the Red Bull driver had been the only person to win his home race since it returned to the calendar in 2021. 

Verstappen fighting Norris would have been understandable given the pressures of a home race; however, Horner pointed out that the 26-year-old recognised from the start of the weekend that Norris was too fast. 

"I think he accepted that Lando just had a quicker car, and actually saw that from Friday," Horner added. 

"So I think he drove a very mature race where he wanted to ensure that he was only conceding seven points to Lando, he didn't want to concede more than that.

"So he just made sure that he delivered the result that he needed."