Christian Horner expecting tougher challenge from Formula 1 rivals in 2023

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner expects a tougher challenge in the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Horner and Red Bull had things their way in 2022 after the early challenge from Ferrari fell away sharply, and Mercedes never really got it together.

As a result, the Austrian team was able to win both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships with ease.

However, Horner believes things will be very different in 2023.

A successful year

"Last year was an extraordinary year - nobody could have predicted 17 race wins out of 22, two out of three Sprint victories," he said, following the 2023 Red Bull New York livery launch.

"It was the most successful year in our history.

"This year it's going to be a lot tougher and a lot tighter. The regulations are relatively stable, and I think the group will converge. We've got some very capable rivals, so I fully expect it to be a lot more competitive, and all we can do is focus on getting the best out of our own package.

"Last year was a phenomenal year, and it will be difficult to repeat those statistics."

The moment we welcomed the #RB19 to the world ?? pic.twitter.com/lQvgPlpxrE

The penalty for 2023

Red Bull's preparations could also be hampered by the FIA sanctions imposed on them after they were found to have breached the budget cap in 2021. Despite initially denying the allegation, Horner and co later accepted the verdict and a £6 million fine, plus a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time.

Horner recently lamented the effect of the sanction: "We're probably 25% almost of the way through that penalty, and, of course, it has an effect. It's limiting significantly the amount of runs that we can do in our wind tunnel over each quarter," he told media in attendance.

"And I think that the team, they're