F1 News: Red Bull Chief Reacts To McLaren Copying RB19 Concept - "It Only Makes Sense"

McLaren have made big strides in development of their MCL60 this weekend. Can the performance continue?

As the dust settles after the British Grand Prix, Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal, has opened up about the similarities between the McLaren MCL60 and this year's Red Bull RB19. "It only makes sense," he tells the press after equalling the British team's record of 11 consecutive wins. 

The Milton Keynes based team brought home yet another win through their lead driver Max Verstappen over the weekend at the Silverstone circuit. But while they were able to celebrate their victory, all eyes are now on McLaren and the development their car has quickly made. 

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The redesign didn't escape the notice of Lewis Hamilton, who praised McLaren’s shift towards a design akin to Red Bull's RB19.

In the past, Horner has occasionally ribbed Mercedes for their inclination towards Red Bull’s design philosophy. But with McLaren embracing the same approach, Horner sees it as a logical step. 

“I looked at their car on the grid, which was the first time this year I’ve really looked at it closely, and you can see the philosophy is very similar.

“So yes, they have clearly chosen to follow the same path with the car as we did.

“It is inevitable that that will happen. And why wouldn’t you? When you see a car performing as well as ours, it only makes sense to try to replicate it, as some teams have decided to do.”

The competition in Formula 1 is fierce, with McLaren emerging as Red Bull's latest challenger after Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Mercedes. Rather than seeing this as a threat, Horner believes the fluctuating power dynamics among rivals pushes Red Bull to focus on their own performance and growth.

"It makes it easier in many ways,” Horner continued. “Because it forces us to focus on ourselves when it’s someone else every weekend. It is interesting to see how the mutual power relations keep changing.”

Red Bull's victory at the Silverstone race marked their 10th win this season, equalling McLaren’s historic record from 1988. "To win 11 in a row - and I believe we've now won 20 of the last 21 races - is a phenomenal streak," Horner marvelled, attributing the achievement to the team's hard work, driver dedication, reliability, and strategy.

It's certainly a huge moment for the Austrian team who are keen to amplify their success, but the applause for McLaren and their drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is more than deserved, and I'm interested to see just how track-specific this newfound performance is as we continue the racing this month.