Horner admits Red Bull would rather win the drivers' title than the constructors' title
- GPblog.com
For the first time since 2013, when both the drivers' and constructors' titles were won, Red Bull Racing was able to take a title again. Max Verstappen took the Drivers' Championship, but Mercedes were still the best constructor. Team boss Christian Horner would nevertheless not want to swap places with Mercedes, as he admitted to Autosport.com.
Verstappen takes fifth Red Bull driver's title
After four titles from Sebastian Vettel, from 2010 to 2013, Verstappen took the fifth drivers' title for Red Bull. For the constructors' title the Austrian team came 28 points short of Mercedes, which won its eighth title in a row.
From a financial point of view the constructors' title is the most interesting for teams, because that is how the income from commercial rights is distributed, but according to Horner the drivers' title has more prestige. The British team boss would not change the outcome of this season, despite the fact that the revenues are a little lower for his team.
Red Bull employee opts for drivers' title
Horner says Red Bull, and probably most other teams too, will reward its employees on the basis of their performance in the Constructors' Championship. So everyone who works for Red Bull would be rewarded more if they had won the constructors' title instead of the drivers' title. Yet Horner admits that not a single employee would have traded the drivers' title for the constructors' first place.
The way in which Verstappen was received at the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes after winning the title is a clear sign of that, according to Horner. Verstappen's success means a great deal to the staff, and everyone is very proud of what the Dutchman has achieved this season," Horner said.
Verstappen title feels like first title
Despite the reduced revenues, the drivers' title is exactly what Red Bull wanted for this season. According to the 48-year-old team boss this title even felt as special as the very first title in 2010 with Vettel. Especially the fact that Red Bull beat the dominant Mercedes made it even more special. Horner is therefore enormously proud of what the team has achieved with Verstappen.