Christian Horner ramps up Lewis Hamilton games with another cautious Red Bull comment

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Christian Horner has ramped up the Lewis Hamilton mind games courtesy of another cautious comment about his Red Bull team ahead of the new season. Horner masterminded Max Verstappen’s maiden title win last season as Hamilton was denied a record eighth championship.

Red Bull launched their 2022 car on Wednesday as they prepare for next month’s F1 season opener in Bahrain.

F1 have introduced a whole host of new rules ahead of the upcoming season and cars now look markedly different from how they appeared in the past.

The wings of cars have been altered after a switch to ground-effect aerodynamics, while tyres will now be 18 inches rather than 13 inches.

Red Bull have built a reputation for being particularly adroit when it comes to changing tyres in an expeditious manner.

But Horner has admitted it will take time for his team’s mechanics to familiarise themselves with the new tyres and get up to speed when it comes to changing them.

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“It will definitely have an impact on the pit-stops,” the Red Bull chief said during the launch of the RB18.

“The tyres and wheels are heavier, more bulky, and so having got the world record at 1.82 seconds I don’t think we will be challenging it in this first year with these wheels.

“It will be about adapting and refining our techniques.”

Horner will be hoping Verstappen can build on his success of last year and back-up his first title with a second one in 2022.

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But with the Red Bull team working around the clock to support the Dutch driver’s efforts last year, Horner has already claimed he is concerned about whether they have paid enough attention to getting their new car right.

“The big unknown is, have we missed something with these regulations,” Horner continued.

“Has another team stolen a march because of the focus and effort that went into 2021?

“With a new regulation change, the whole philosophy of the regulations has altered from last year so that means every single component is brand new this year.

“It’s a steep learning curve for everyone and it’s a race of development between the first race and the last.”

Horner’s comments won’t exactly fill Verstappen with confidence ahead of what is likely to be another hotly-contested battle for dominance in 2022.

And they could even come as a huge boost to Mercedes and Hamilton.

But the Silver Arrows are in the same boat as their rivals and will also be facing the unknown this season.

So Hamilton will surely be reluctant to read too much into Horner’s latest comment and will instead be focusing his attentions on making sure he is ready for another battle on the track.

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