Horner questions Mercedes’ wing: Hamilton was in a different formula

Christian Horner of Red Bull has pondered what is allowing Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes to reach such incredible top speeds down the straights.

Lewis Hamilton’s tremendous straight-line speed in Brazil, according to Red Bull’s Christian Horner, is particularly concerning, after the defending World Champion cut his way from last to fifth place in the Sprint Qualifying race in just 24 laps.

At Interlagos, Hamilton had no difficulty slicing through the field, including simple passes on Mercedes-powered rivals, and Horner has acknowledged that there are questions within the Red Bull camp about what’s causing it.

“Lewis’ straight-line speed is just mind-boggling,” Horner admitted to Sky Sports.

“We’ve seen this coming for a few races now. Turkey, it started to be there. In Mexico, we saw the straight-line speed, I think they were about 14 km/h quicker at the end of the straight than we were, so it’s no great surprise.

“We saw yesterday that it’s phenomenal, especially with the size of the rear wing that they have on the car.”

With Hamilton disqualified from qualifying due to a technical rule violation involving his rear wing’s Drag Reduction System (DRS), Horner stated his team is working hard to figure out Mercedes’ secret formula for straight-line speed.

“It’s something that is enabling the car to do that kind of speed,” he said.

“Something must happen, because physics wouldn’t allow…. The kind of horsepower delta that you would need to achieve that, would be pretty significant. So we’re obviously trying to understand what it is and go from there.”

Horner hints at the rear wings

Horner was asked about the early-season drama this year, when Red Bull was compelled to adjust their rear wing design due to excessive flex down the straights, after Red Bull apparently approached the FIA on Friday to request clarification regarding bending of the Mercedes rear wing.

“Obviously, a technical directive came out that changed the testing procedure on that,” he explained.

“The wing was revised accordingly, [but] maybe we need another change to the test. That’s Formula 1, that’s what the business is all about.”

Because the technical rules are so strict in areas where a large disparity in outright top speed is ostensibly prevented, Horner expressed concern about Hamilton’s speed during Sprint Qualifying.

“It’s down to the FIA to police. The rules are quite concise, they’re ever more constricted,” said Horner.

“It’s something that we’re going to keep an eye on because, particularly with Lewis today, that was just a different league. I think he was 27 kilometres an hour faster than Lando [Norris] when he passed him, which is another formula, but it’s a great drive from him.”

In terms of what could be driving the Mercedes to be so fast, Horner added with a smile: “I think we very clearly know what it is. That’s for the engineers to discuss.”

The uniforms of Formula One racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price: