by Russell Atkins
TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL: CLICK HERE
Following a couple of years spent flattering only to deceive, Red Bull Racing will be the real deal in 2008, insists Christian Horner, following what he calls the ‘best preparation prior to any season in our short history'.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit may have finished fifth in the world constructors' championship in 2007 – its best result in three years in the top flight – but that masked a disappointing campaign dogged by poor reliability early on that cost what Horner estimates to be as many as 24 points. That total would have seen RBR comfortably overtake
Williams to seal fourth spot in the final standings – but the Englishman is confident it will be a different story altogether over the upcoming eight months.
“We've had probably our best preparation prior to any season in our short history,”
Red Bull's young team principal reflected, in an exclusive interview with
Crash.net Radio, “so we're certainly going to Melbourne better-prepared than we've been previously. We've enjoyed a good build-up to the season and we're buoyant.
“I think we've seen evolution in all areas. One of the biggest factors we've had is that it's been the first time that we've enjoyed continuity in terms of engine partner into a second season, so that obviously has been a massive benefit.
“This is the second car the technical group has worked together on now too, with the design team led by Adrian Newey. The whole group is working very well together collectively and we're making steady progress.
“Reliability – touchwood – seems to be vastly improved from last year, and the performance has obviously been encouraging. We're pleased with the progress we've been making during recent weeks, but it's impossible to know where we are until we get to Australia.”
