Ferrari, Lotus, and Mercedes are Red Bull’s main rivals according to Horner

After his impressive and commanding victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel has taken the lead in the world drivers’ championship with a ten-point advantage over the very consistent Kimi Räikkönen. A little further back, an astonishing Lewis Hamilton is battling for the third place in the championship with Fernando Alonso.

On the constructors’ side, it is obviously Red Bull leading the discussions, ahead by a few points over Lotus and Ferrari.

But this air of domination by the Austrian team does not seem to reassure Christian Horner, Team Principal of the team, who considers the results to be much closer than they appear to be: « It’s tight. I’m sure it will change from circuit to circuit as we approach Europe. »

He even identifies the likely rivals of Red Bull during this 2013 season: « Ferrari is strong, Lotus has a good car, and Mercedes is definitely very fast on a flying lap. The others are a step behind. »

It is amusing to realize that McLaren does not seem to worry Horner unduly. The British team is indeed struggling with its new MP4/28 and risks not being able to play a leading role this season.

But when it is highlighted that the RB9 is apparently the fastest car at the start of this season, especially following the impressive victory in Bahrain, Horner tempers expectations: « Seb did a phenomenal job managing the tires in Bahrain. He had everything under control from the moment he took the lead by overtaking Nico Rosberg, and then he raced magnificently. At no point was he threatened, and he won with clear domination. »

That said, Horner is indeed very happy with Red Bull’s start to the season: « After winning two of the four races and securing a second place, it’s a good start to the season for us. »