Guenther Steiner is confident Red Bull’s competitors will have a good chance of unseating Max Verstappen this season.
When armed with the all-conquering RB19 last year, no one could touch the Dutchman. Furthermore, there are concerns that things won’t improve until 2026, when significant changes to automotive laws are expected to occur. However, Steiner remains optimistic that the power dynamics could change before then. The former Haas manager expressed optimism that the battle will be considerably closer this year by pointing to the advancements other teams achieved over the 2023 season.
When asked what he thought of the state of affairs at the front of the grid, Steiner responded, “That will end.” This, in my perspective, is a period… I believe that a few clubs will make up ground the next season. Observe what McLaren accomplished the previous year; they quickly caught up.
It is possible for any race to catch up because the laws have remained constant. Everyone will eventually hit that limit as there is a limit to what they can develop.”Then, 2026 will undoubtedly see a total overhaul in all aspects of my opinion, as I believe the automobiles will be much newer and subject to new engine and regulation laws. The sport will likely continue to be fascinating.
Steiner’s observation that teams are approaching the existing regulations’ performance ceiling is consistent with remarks made by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner at the conclusion of the previous campaign. He also acknowledged that his team’s advantage over their opponents is probably going to narrow because the winners have much less space for development.
According to Horner, “I fully expect the field to converge with stable regulations and diminishing returns for us because I believe we reached the top of the curve sooner than others.”
“Every year is a fresh start, and I have no doubt that you’ll witness a lot more vehicles that might have an RB19 aesthetic. In this industry, standing stagnant usually means regressing. We, in my opinion, have risen beyond that curve more quickly than others. However, the law of decreasing returns applies to us.”
Even Verstappen knows that things won’t likely go as smoothly as they did for him again this year. “The others will upgrade their vehicles and approach us,” he declared. It isn’t very likely, in my opinion, to regain that win percentage. However, that’s alright. It’s crazy that we’ve already had a season like this… The others are not ignorant. Everybody is picking up knowledge.”
