Why Verstappen and Horner are diametrically opposed when it comes to the world title fight

After the qualification in Bahrain, Verstappen surprisingly stated that he is not fighting for the world title. According to Verstappen, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are not his competitors. According to his own words, Max participates in the championship like any other driver, but he is not fighting for the title.

It was remarkable for someone who at that time was only one point behind the leader in the championship and also for the man who is third in the title fight with eight points behind after four Grands Prix. In the first four races, Verstappen won in Japan and finished second in Australia. At first glance, it is logical to think about a title race.

However, Verstappen's explanation can be explained. Even a blind person can see that McLaren has had the best car in all four race weekends. The fact that Norris and Piastri have not yet pulled away from the rest is because the McLaren duo has left points on the table themselves. In Australia, Piastri wasted a lot of points, in China Norris did the same, after which the duo was outperformed by Verstappen in Japan. In Bahrain, Piastri won the race, but Norris once again dropped points.

The reason Max is still close to the McLarens is due to their failures, but also due to the specific circumstances during the races. In the Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen ended up in second place by staying flawless in rainy conditions. The RB21 had shown little pace in the long run, but in the rain, this issue was disguised.

In Japan, Verstappen with Red Bull Racing benefited from the cold conditions. This prevented McLaren's strength, namely tire management, from shining through and made it nearly impossible to overtake in the race. In any other Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen could never have finished ahead of the McLarens.

The two races that unfolded according to a 'normal' scenario showed where Red Bull really stands. In both the Chinese and Bahrain Grands Prix, Verstappen lacked speed over one lap, had no balance in his car, struggled to manage the tires, and fell significantly behind McLaren due to all these factors. In both races, even Charles Leclerc and George Russell were more competitive on behalf of Ferrari and Mercedes.

And that is the problem that Verstappen has been addressing since the winter tests: the Red Bull is too slow, unbalanced, and very bad on the tires. In a race that follows a normal scenario, Verstappen will always be at a disadvantage. Over a full season, it is therefore not realistic to claim that a world title is possible.

Christian Horner clung to Max's small deficit in the championship. According to Horner, Verstappen is still in the title race. In doing so, the Brit overlooks how Verstappen was able to stay close. Namely, based on the pure quality of the driver in specific conditions, not based on the quality of the car.

Horner believes it is a matter of keeping up and making sure that the next updates work. However, Max Verstappen has little faith in those promises. On Saturday, he said that he no longer needs to hear what is coming and how much it will yield. Red Bull must first prove it.

In one year, Red Bull has imploded. From dominant at the beginning of 2024, it has fallen far back to under the same regulations in just one year. Updates no longer work, and the correlation between the factory and the circuit is not right. Hope for improvement seems like an illusion that only Horner truly believes in. This is a source of great frustration in Verstappen's camp.