Christian Horner has admitted his concerns about Mercedes’ recent run of form in recent races.
Although Horner’s Red Bull are still some 126 points clear of Toto Wolff’s Mercedes in the Constructor’s standings, the Silver Arrows recent resurgence has seen them get at least one driver onto the podium in each race since Baku back in June.
Red Bull have thus far been largely untroubled by any other outfit, with Ferrari their closest competitors, but the the Italians have struggled to put together a run of successful race weeks due to both mechanical and strategic failures.
Horner said: ‘They were certainly talking up their chances coming into the weekend. I think in the end, Max [Verstappen] was reasonably comfortable.
‘But you can see they’re chipping away at it, they’re getting closer.
‘I hear Toto [Wolff] said they’re going to work throughout the summer break to improve the car, which would, of course, be illegal. You can see they’re getting closer and closer.’
Mercedes managed to get two drivers on the podium at the Circuit Paul Ricard for the first time all season despite several third-fourth finishes as the reigning Constructor’s champions have struggled to live up to their own reputation this year.
Despite lacking in pace for the majority of the season, both George Russell and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton appeared to have the better of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez on Sunday.
The Mexican was not having the best race weekend of his long career, but he was left in Hamilton’s wake throughout the race, before a brilliant restart following a Virtual Safety Car allowed Russell past him as well.
And Wolff was naturally pleased with the result, after coming under pressure following his outfit’s poor start to the season left them third in the Constructor’s, trailing second-placed Ferrari by 44 points.
The Austrian said: ‘The biggest asset is the culture we have in the team. It is the immune system of the team, it keeps us working with the right mindset and to persist when it is difficult.
The drivers are part of our culture and mindset and they squeeze the utmost out of the car. They never let go, they just never let go.’
