Horner: “2012 will be an exciting year”

The Red Bull Racing team begins the 2012 season with the desire to retain its two world champion titles won in 2011, as stated by Christian Horner, the team director, during the presentation of the RB8. The team, founded in 2005 after the purchase of Jaguar, has managed to win 4 titles in 7 seasons.

According to Horner, it mainly comes from the men and women who work for Red Bull Racing and ensure that everything runs perfectly.

The main reason for our success is teamwork. It is quite simple for the group of people who are there at Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Technology and who work as one team. It obviously took time to evolve, but we have evolved quickly. We are still a young team and to consider that we have won four world championship titles in just seven years of competition is something we should be proud of and that should encourage us to win even more, Horner said in an interview published following the launch of the RB8.

The objective for 2012 is therefore simple: to gather new trophies and try to retain the two titles won in 2011 by continuing to win with style and determination as well.

The team’s objectives are rather simple. It’s to try to defend the two titles in the manner in which we won them. Obviously, when you have achieved what we did, particularly in 2011, we have set the bar very high for ourselves.

But even if doing even better might be difficult, in Formula 1, a team cannot afford to stand still. It must constantly strive to do even better, even if it means reinventing itself. Horner knows, however, that pre-season testing will not necessarily give a true picture of the competitiveness of each car.

«We are looking to improve, we always strive to do even better in all areas. We cannot control what our rivals do, we compete against formidable competitors, but we can only focus on ourselves, and it is only in Melbourne that we will know where we stand compared to our rivals.»

Horner has just commented on the competition that Red Bull should face. He believes that Formula 1 is set for a memorable year with the presence of six world champions – following the return of Kimi Räikkönen.

«I think that this year on the grid we will have six world champions, and McLaren has a very good team, they have a very good team that is strong and two world-class drivers. Fernando Alonso, everyone knows his talent, and Ferrari is also an excellent team.»

«We have Kimi Räikkönen returning as well; Mercedes also seems like it could be competitive, so I think Formula 1 is heading towards an exciting year and for us at Red Bull Racing, our goals and objectives are to try and stay ahead of all our rivals and build on the successes we’ve had and the lessons learned in 2011.»

To achieve the team’s objectives, Adrian Newey oversaw the construction of the RB8, which will aim to perform as well as the RB7 still in the hands of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

The construction of this year’s car went fantastically well, and I think it’s the quintessence of continuity, continuity present in all areas. I believe we designed and built this car in record time, in a very short period of time.

Adrian is famous for his forward-thinking design, but the design team, the production teams, and all the departments associated with the production of these cars have achieved and continue to achieve this beautifully. We reached our goal of being ready for the first tests despite the snow that fell this week. I think we are in good shape for these initial tests.

The first tests will indeed be conducted by Mark Webber today in Jerez. These initial laps will involve attempting to hide the RB8 from its rivals, checking the proper functioning of the systems, and then conducting the first tests, focusing mainly on reliability before performance.

The launch of a new car is always eagerly anticipated; it’s almost like going back to school for a new academic year.

«Obviously, you try to see what your rivals are doing and at the same time they try to hide the secrets of their cars as well. The images are scrutinized; we will all watch what our rivals have done over the winter. It’s the longest period away from everyone, from Brazil to the first race, but we will be focused on our own performance.»

We will seek to verify all systems to ensure that the car operates as designed. We will then tackle the testing itself, because we have very little time this year – only three testing sessions with one car for our two drivers. It’s a very short period and offers only a few days for each driver before the season starts in Melbourne.

Each team has 12 test days before the first race in Australia. The Red Bull team has decided to split these days between their main drivers – Vettel and Webber. Sébastien Buemi, the third driver, will likely not have the opportunity to test the RB8 but will still be working in the team’s simulator.

Sébastien is a product of the Red Bull Junior Team, he stayed with Toro Rosso for three years and is now an experienced driver. We have decided to retain Sébastien as our test and reserve driver because he knows the team well, is technically strong, and has interesting Grand Prix experience.

« He will do a lot of work for us this year in the simulator, he will conduct aerodynamic tests, and other activities, so it was a logical step for us to take him as a reserve driver – not only for Red Bull Racing but also for our sister team Toro Rosso. »

Christian Horner also addressed the case of Sebastian Vettel, who is now a double world champion and will attempt to become the youngest triple world champion in F1 in 2012.

«Sebastian’s 2011 season was remarkable. It was a phenomenal year for him, with a new record of pole positions, 11 victories, and only one retirement – in all other races except one (in Germany) he was on the podium. So for him to do even better will be a real challenge.

But, as a driver, he constantly evolves and becomes stronger over time. We saw this in 2011 and I think it will be the same in 2012. Don’t forget that he is only 24 years old and it’s so young considering everything he has already accomplished. I think that, given the experience he is gaining and considering his learning, he will become stronger and stronger.

The question is who will be able to beat Vettel in 2012 if he has the best car? Maybe his teammate, Mark Webber, even though the Australian driver struggled to measure up in 2011. But Horner believes that his victory in Brazil during the last race has re-motivated him, and the great Mark Webber will be back in 2012.

I think the best wake-up call for Mark was to finish the year on a high note – by winning that last race and approaching the new season after winning the Brazilian Grand Prix. I believe he had a very substantial winter break. He recharged his batteries, trained very hard, and returned even fitter and sharper than ever. He seems to be in excellent shape for this new season.

The key to the season may be the form of the 24 drivers, but also for all the team members. Because 2012 will be the longest season in several years, with 20 Grand Prix scheduled – and numerous trips outside Europe.

Twenty races, that makes (since 2012) a challenging season. The year will be long. It will be a real challenge – there will be many races back to back. Starting in March and finishing in November … but I think with good planning and preparation, it should be manageable.

I think it will be an exciting season. Of course, there will be times when some teams perform better, and the most important thing is to be consistent throughout the season. So, we are determined to get off to a great start in Melbourne and finish strong in Brazil, added Horner.