Horner: The competition is certainly phenomenal

At the launch of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing RB9, Team Principal Christian Horner shared his thoughts on the new car and the season ahead.

Christian, your first thoughts on the RB9?

It’s fantastic to see the car as such a huge amount of effort has gone into producing it. It also marks a new beginning for us: it’s our ninth car but we’re introducing Infiniti as our title partner, so the livery is strikingly different. Hopefully it’s going to look pretty striking on track as well.

Can Infiniti Red Bull Racing make it four championships in a row?

It’s going to be tough because the competition is certainly phenomenal – but that is what has made the things we’ve achieved over the last three years even more rewarding. To have won three-in-a-row in both Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships is quite remarkable. The 2012 season was tough and long, but our success was testimony to all the hard work and dedication in the factory. We’re fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain continuity within our group. This is the fifth year that this driver pairing has been together. We’ve got continuity throughout the technical teams and in all the key areas. I think that’s proof that there’s a fierce determination to keep both of those trophies in the cabinet for another year.

How have you managed to keep the team together for so long – presumably their skills are very much in demand elsewhere?

I think people enjoy working in the team, they feel part of it, so there’s a good team spirit and strong desire to continue what we have. Added to the long relationships we have with our partners and sponsors it gives us a very stable foundation on which to build. The way we work is open and transparent. We concentrate on being a Formula One team and nothing more. Our focus is very much on going racing and trying to get the best out of ourselves. Even when we’ve had very good weekends – and very good years – we know there are always areas in which we can make improvements.”