Tension between Red Bull and McLaren, Horner dodges THE questions in Bahrain

Before the weekend in Bahrain, I was warned that things can get pretty rowdy in Juffair. I stayed in a relatively remote part of Manama last year. Juffair is more about the nightlife. Fortunately, due to the warning from colleagues, I had purchased earplugs, which were needed. At 3.30am, the bass was still thumping throughout the motel.

With earplugs, it was a fine night, and I could return to the Bahrain International Circuit. It was the day of the team bosses' press conference with Christian Horner. The Red Bull Racing team boss was already the talk of the day on Wednesday, and on Thursday, that was only more so.

In the morning, visits to various teams are scheduled. At McLaren, the mood is good. The team hope to continue the upward trend of 2023 into 2024. As Andrea Stella revealed earlier, the team has not been able to make all the updates, but confidence is high. In addition, the technical team has been strengthened at the beginning of 2024 with the arrival of Rob Marshall and David Sanchez.

McLaren's words hurt VCARB

Yet, at McLaren, it is also about Red Bull and mainly the collaboration between Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB. Zak Brown made no secret of the fact that he does not like this partnership. He says Red Bull benefit from this collaboration and, with the budget cap, there is no need at all to have so-called 'B teams' in F1. There is, therefore, a feeling at McLaren that Red Bull have an unfair advantage of having two teams in one sport.

Those words hurt Visa Cash App RB. They are working with all their might on the car and being portrayed as a Red Bull copy. It's a kick in the teeth. Instead, with the arrival of Laurent Mekies, Peter Bayer, Tim Goss and Alan Permane, the team are doing all they can to bring in knowledge and form their own identity.

That identity does return to Red Bull's roots. Red Bull does own the Italian team. There is more energy, more music in the garage, and a more energetic look to the outside world. The livery is a clear example of this.

Because no matter how you look at it, Red Bull owns both VCARB and Red Bull Racing. The fact they want these two teams to work as (cost) efficiently as possible is only logical. VCARB buy, from Red Bull Technology, what they are allowed. They design the rest themselves.

How Visa Cash App want to be called RB

Any rumours of a move to Italy are dismissed by the team to the realm of fantasy. The team has always had a factory in Italy (Faenza) and England (Bicester). The one in England is mainly focused on aerodynamics as the wind tunnel is also located there. Besides, an English factory also helps to attract people like Goss and Permane. As a result, they do not have to move to Italy with their entire families. So no relocation, but an ever-growing team in England.

And then another hot topic: what do the team want to be called? The team understand that there has been some confusion over the winter. It is as follows: the company is officially registered as Racing Bulls S.p.A., which is the company's name. The racing team, however, was registered differently. Before the FIA deadline, it was Scuderia AlphaTauri RB; now, the racing team is called Visa Cash App RB. Abbreviated to VCARB.

So referring to the race team, VCARB is best used, but Racing Bulls or RB is also not wrong. People say the second one sounds like Red Bull, but this has always been the case. Toro Rosso is literally Red Bull in Italian. The name AlphaTauri was a reference to Red Bull's clothing brand. The link with Red Bull has always been there, which is not surprising: after all, Red Bull own both teams.

An emerging battle between McLaren and Red Bull Racing

The setting during the press conference is spicy. Joining us there are Zak Brown, Laurent Mekies and Christian Horner. Brown is asked for his side of the story, and the Red Bull staff for theirs. Brown repeats what he said earlier. He is concerned with the rules. These, in his view, are wrong, not the teams themselves. A brand should not have two teams in F1. With the budget cap, he believes that is unnecessary.

Mekies, VCARB's new team boss, gets the floor next. In particular, he points to the past why these rules came about as they did. Namely, to bring the field closer together. Allowing small teams to buy other parts makes them more competitive. It also helps to cut costs in the increasingly expensive sport.

This is how Horner responds to questions about the ongoing investigation

But then the floor belongs to Horner. The interviewer asks if Horner has anything to add, after Mekies' long story. Yes, Horner does. He went the extra mile and lashed out at all the critics in his speech. The common thread of his message: Red Bull should be applauded, not criticised, after all they have done for F1.

After all, Red Bull pumped money into a second team at Bernie Ecclestone's request by buying out Minardi. Red Bull remained loyal to F1 during the 2008 economic crisis. Red Bull remained loyal to F1 during the coronavirus crisis and wanted to be the first to kick off the season again. In addition, Horner stressed that Red Bull Racing and VCARB are separate teams with their own factories and people.

With his statements, Horner had a point, yet it also felt a bit like a diversion. The longer he takes on this answer, the less time is left for the other questions. Questions about the investigation are scarce, and there seems to be a reason for that. Horner has resolved not to answer questions about the investigation. On two attempts, Horner gives the same answer: "I cannot respond to an ongoing investigation."

Why Verstappen's attitude says everything about the RB20

With all the commotion surrounding Horner, you could almost forget how dominant the RB20 looks. This was evident when I joined the press moment for Dutch media with Max Verstappen half an hour after the press conference. Max is, as during the car launch, extremely relaxed. Verstappen does not shy away from any subject and, above all, takes his time. A unique thing, as Verstappen is not usually such a fan of media sessions. Confidence in the RB20 and technical chiefs Newey and Waché is something Verstappen expresses, but above all, he radiates positivity.

Before Perez rolled back to the pits, I was at the garage to see more of the #RB20#F1 #F1Testing pic.twitter.com/AFVxEFGmN2

— Tim Kraaij (@TimKraaij) February 22, 2024

Red Bull and Verstappen are confident in the RB20, and so are the competitors. Andrea Stella, always open during his media sessions, made it clear that one team has taken the biggest step out of everyone: "Annoyingly, that is the team that was already the best last year." The McLaren team boss was surprised to see the RB20 and see on the track that Red Bull have kept the gap the same, if not made it bigger, with the new car.

When I ask Stella if this gap can be closed in a year, he focuses entirely on his own team. And Stella is right. McLaren have made considerable progress since Austria 2023 and will be particularly focused on continuing that line. As long as they move forward, they can be satisfied despite the fact that Red Bull may have run away.

With that, the second day in Bahrain is over. Max Verstappen will return to action tomorrow afternoon after ceding Thursday's modified session to Sergio Perez.