Horner fears clash Verstappen and Leclerc: 'Inevitably it will boil over'

During the second free practice session for the Miami Grand Prix, Mercedes seemed to be back on track, with first and fourth place finishes for George Russell and Lewis Hamilton respectively. Reason enough for journalists at the press conference to bring up the rivalry between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes once again. Christian Horner refuses to write off the German stable, especially after the result of the second free practice.

Horner on rivalry Mercedes and Ferrari

Despite the good result in FP2, Mercedes is not yet seriously taken into account by everyone. Unjustly, Christian Horner believes. "You are writing Toto off and we are only four races in," he responds when asked how the rivalry with Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto compares to that with Toto Wolff last year. The fact that Russell clocked the fastest time on Friday means, according to the Red Bull team boss, that there is still plenty of time for the German racing stable to come back.

However, Horner does point out a clear difference in this year's battle compared to 2021. "Last year there was a lot of things going on off track as well as on track, where this season it‘s much more about what is going on track," the Briton continues.

He calls the races between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc "epic" but respectful, but at the same time fears that things will go wrong one day. "It's inevitable that it will boil over at some point, because it's getting more and more competitive and the stakes are getting higher in the second half of the season," said Horner, who is convinced that Mercedes will also still be in the fray.