Horner details "grief" from F1 boss who applied pressure: 'Stop dominating'

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Christian Horner details pressure from F1 boss Stefano Domenicalli
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  • Matt Gretton
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Christian Horner revealed that he experienced "grief" and "pressure" from F1 CEO Stefano Domenicalli during Red Bull's period of dominance in Formula 1. Red Bull won every race except for one during the 2023 Formula 1 season, and started with wins in 2024 but a turnaround started at the Miami Grand Prix weekend when McLaren's Lando Norris won.

"If you were sceptic, you'd say something's changed because we went from winning races as a canter," the Red Bull team boss said in a conversation with Motorsport. "I was getting grief from Stefano [Domenicali] every weekend that the TV figures are dwindling because we're set for another year of Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominance. There was a lot of pressure coming, saying: ‘Stop winning races by 20 seconds!’"

"If one was a sceptic and somewhat paranoid, you say something's changed. Because even when we've gone back to the configuration of the car that, for example, we had in China, we still have some of the same issues that we have experienced," continued Horner, who also admitted other teams have made steps forward.

Has Horner experienced it before?

Horner expressed that he has never seen big swings before, from Red Bull or any other team. Lando Norris is hunting down Max Verstappen in the Drivers' World Championship. With six race weekends remaining, Norris has a 52-point gap to bridge. In the Constructors' Championship, Red Bull will need to make some improvements if they are to cut the 41-point gap to the Woking-based team.

This article has been created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen