Red Bull: Twisty Hungaroring caters to 'mighty' Mercedes

©RedBull

Red Bull's Christian Horner believes his team will be challenged to defeat the "mighty" Mercedes squad at the twisty Hungaroring given the Silver Arrow's predilection for slow-speed corners.

Historically, Mercedes' cars have often struggled in a high downforce environment where slow speed corners abound.

But the German team's engineers have ironed out much of that weakness in this year's W10, which in turn incites Horner to be cautious ahead of this weekend's race in Budapest.

Marko believes Verstappen still has a shot at the title

"Hungary is a track we enjoy going to," the Red Bull team boss told Autosport.

"But Mercedes' slow corner performance is pretty mighty, and I think they're going to be tough opponents."

©RedBull

While Mercedes is expected to bounce back from its German Grand Prix debacle at a venue where its Silver Arrow can potentially excel, one can't dismiss a spirited challenge from Red Bull and Max Verstappen given the pair's track record in the past three races.

Two outright wins secured on merit in Austria and in Germany are clear endorsements of the progress enjoyed by the RB15-Hondo combo.

"We have been getting more performance on the car," added Horner.

"The chassis's been getting better, the engine's been getting better and I think we have got some good stuff in the pipeline for the second half of the year.

"We've got stable regulations from 2019 into '20, so whatever we learn this year applies to next year.

"So, we want to keep the trajectory going the way we are."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.