Horner foresees four-team ‘flat out’ battle in F1 for next 18 months

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has predicted that the current fierce competition in F1 between the Milton Keynes outfit and its three main rivals will continue until the end of 2025.

Despite Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s early dominance this season, which followed two years of hegemony by the bulls after the introduction of F1’s ground-effect regulations, the championship leaders have faced increased competition from McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari.

The gap between the top teams has narrowed significantly, with Mercedes winning three of the last four races and McLaren securing a one-two finish in Hungary.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June.

Horner believes that the convergence of performance among F1’s quartet of front-runners is a natural consequence of the stable regulation landscape.

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“I think it’s great for the sport, and it was almost inevitable when you get consistency of regulations, you always get convergence,” explained the Red Bull team boss.

“I remember when I first came into Formula 1, Ron Dennis banging that drum back in 2005. Convergence has always brought the teams together.

“Of course, we have a big regulations change in 2026 that will cause divergence but, between now and then, the next 18 months I think it will be flat-out between the four teams.”

The increased competition has made the battle for the constructors' championship even more exciting.

Although Max Verstappen still comfortably leads the drivers' championship with a 78-point buffer over Lando Norris, McLaren is only 42 points behind Red Bull with 10 races remaining.

“For us the focus is on the constructors’, where we’ve seen another seven or eight points taken off us again [at Spa],” Horner explained.

“We need to turn that around coming out of the break in Zandvoort.”

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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.