Christian Horner makes Toto Wolff and Mercedes prediction amid Red Bull domination

Max Verstappen is on the verge of winning the Drivers’ Championship for a third straight year,

and Mercedes is anxious to defeat Red Bull in Formula One the next season.

Christian Horner anticipates Mercedes will be more competitive the following year and claims Toto Wolff is “plotting” something.

Over the past two years, Horner’s Red Bull has dominated Formula One.

They have won back-to-back Constructors’ Championships, and at this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is predicted to

win a third straight Drivers’ Championship.

Mercedes had dominated F1 before Red Bull’s recent resurgence, winning eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships between

2014 and 2021. Although his team have dominated the 2023 season, Horner isn’t getting complacent ahead of 2024.

The Red Bull chief has described Mercedes’ drivers – seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and upcoming star George Russell –

as “great” and believes they will come good again. Yet Horner has full “respect” for Wolff’s team and wants to keep them quiet.

“For me sport is about rivalry,” Horner told Sky Sports. “It’s great to have rivalry. “There has to be a respect, but sport isn’t sport

without rivalry.

“Obviously we haven’t seen much of him the last couple of years but I’m sure he’s plotting. I’m sure he’s got something that they’re

working on. They’re a great team. They are a big team. They have got great drivers. They’ll be looking to fight back.”

Horner insists “everything goes in cycles” in F1, acknowledging the battle between Red Bull and Mercedes in recent years. Horner has

been Red Bull’s team principal since they entered the sport in 2005 and oversaw their domination between 2010 and 2013.

Verstappen is almost certain to become just the 11th driver to win three world titles this weekend. He will join Ayrton Senna, Nelson

Piquet, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham on three titles and, at 26, is young enough to become F1’s most successful driver.

Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record for the most world titles (seven). Juan Manuel Fangio won five, while Alain Prost

and Vettel won four. “It’s a pretty select club he (Verstappen) will enter when he wins his third world title,” added Horner.

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