Horner sees opportunity for Mercedes: 'They are getting closer and closer'

Christian Horner says Red Bull Racing are starting to take Mercedes more and more into account. At the start of the year, Red Bull still had a substantial lead over the German team, but the Austrian team's boss is seeing it shrink.

In France, Max Verstappen won the race in fairly dominant fashion after Charles Leclerc' s retirement. For the first time in 2022 he was joined on the podium by the two Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The latter was able to overtake Sergio Perez in the closing stages of the race.

"They were certainly talking up their chances coming into the weekend," Horner is quoted as saying by The Mirror. Horner believes Verstappen managed to win the race comfortably in the end, but reveals that he sees Mercedes closing in at a rapid pace. "You can see they’re getting closer and closer," he said.

Red Bull has extended its lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship. The Italian's lesser result in France has in turn brought Mercedes a step closer to the Scuderia. The difference between Ferrari and Mercedes is now 44 points, Red Bull is a comfortable 126 points ahead of the German team.