If Wolff is to be believed, he has already given up on this year's car'

Red Bull Racing has taken the lead in the drivers' and constructors' standings. However, the battle is far from over, and is also being fought on two levels. Indeed, Christian Horner continues to look to 2022.

Dilemma for F1 teams

In 2021, Formula 1 teams face an important dilemma. With the budget cap, they cannot just throw money around; they have to make considered decisions. In 2022 major rule changes are scheduled, which will require teams to design a completely new car. Do you start now, or do you keep working on the 2021 car?

While some teams, such as Ferrari and Haas, have clearly indicated that they are already fully focussed on 2022, Mercedes and Red Bull Racing cannot make the switch now. Switching to the new car now could potentially give the title to the other team. On the other hand, they also can't be allowed to fall significantly behind before 2022.

Pressure on Mercedes

So a difficult dilemma, but for Red Bull it is very clear. ''We have to stay very close to Mercedes until the decisive stage of the championship, then the pressure will increase much further. Therefore, in this phase of the season we want to be especially reliable and consistent, in any case we shouldn't leave too many points behind ourselves'', Horner told Motorsport.com.

Toto Wolff made it clear earlier that Mercedes are already busy working on 2022, but Horner doesn't believe that. ''If we are to believe Toto then he has already given up on this year's car. For us it is important to find a good balance. There is a big change in the regulations coming and we cannot deny that we also have to allocate our resources. But the motivation to work long days is there at the moment. That's exactly what we need to do in order not to lose anything in 2022, but also to stay in contention in 2021'', concludes Red Bull's team principal.