Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko admits that winning every single race in 2023 “is becoming a goal now” for Red Bull Racing.
The team’s steam-rolling dominance of F1 this season has inevitably led to the prospect of Red Bull achieving a one-hundred per cent success rate this year.
Such a remarkable feat has never been accomplished by a team in the history of the sport, although McLaren came close in 1988 when it won 15 of the championship’s 16 rounds, the Woking team faltering at Monza.
Last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen claim a new record for the most consecutive wins in a season, the Dutchman setting the milestone at ten victories and taking his overall 2022 tally to twelve wins.
Despite Red Bull’s extraordinary banner year, team boss Christian Horner continues to play down the chances of his outfit achieving an amazing clean sweep.
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But Marko admits that what was once a distant thought is transforming itself into a sure goal.
“First of all, our goal is to secure the world championships,” Marko told Motorsport.com.
“But let’s say if we win in Singapore, then the chance is there that we can win all the races. Of course, it is becoming a goal now.
“In the beginning of the season, it was not realistic to win all the races and it has never happened before.
“McLaren was stopped here, so the press constructed a story that the curse would hit us as well, but we didn’t let it hit us.”
In Italy, looking ahead to next week’s Singapore Grand Prix, Verstappen expected Red Bull to be facing a bit more of a difficult challenge at the venue’s Marina Bay street circuit.
Marko believes that qualifying will offer a clear indication of what might await Red Bull on race day.
“Like every race, we have had a competitive car everywhere so why should that not be the case in Singapore?” said the Austrian.
“But I have to say Ferrari and especially Leclerc is a specialist around there. If they are faster in qualifying, then it could become a problem for us because overtaking in Singapore is very difficult.
“But I’m still optimistic that the package we are bringing to Singapore is good enough to win.”
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Horner says Red Bull is keeping its down, focused on the job at hand and on sustaining the highest level of execution it has ever enjoyed.
But the Briton also knows that a wrench can be throw from the outside into the team’s works at any time while on track.
“There are so many elements, whether it’s reliability, whether it’s luck, whether it’s strategy, whether it’s a pitstop, whether it’s pace. Weather – there are so many elements,” Horner said.
“You’ve got to stay on top of your game, and I think that’s what, for me, that’s the most remarkable achievement this year so far is that we haven’t dropped the ball.
“We’ve managed to keep operating at an incredibly high level, and that’s something that’s not been seen before.”
Nevertheless, the historic significance of what Red Bull is in the process of achieving isn’t lost on Horner or his team.
“I think for the whole team, everything that we’re doing at the moment, we’re making history,” he added.
“It’s not often you get the chance to do that.”
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