Formula 1 is “dying” for a Lewis Hamilton/Max Verstappen rivalry to “erupt”, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
This season it was anticipated the Dutchman would be able to challenge the six-time world champion after several close battles in the second half of last year.
Instead, Mercedes have pulled away again at the front, with Max the only driver to so far break their dominance by claiming victory in the second race at Silverstone.
And Horner admits more battles would be welcome as the lack of competition is becoming a turn-off for those watching at home.
“For F1 it would be fantastic because everybody is dying for that rivalry to erupt,” the Red Bull team boss told PA.
“Max and Lewis are the two standout drivers in F1 at the moment. Both are at different stages of their careers and it would be great to see them go head-to-head, this year and next.
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“When people know what the result is going to be, why bother watching, unless you are a die-hard fan? Sport is all about competition and that is what we want to see.
“So hopefully we can be competitive with Mercedes and have more Sundays like last Sunday and get ourselves back into the championship fight.”
The gulf between Mercedes and Red Bull is still considerable in normal conditions however, with Hamilton 0.7s faster in qualifying and 24s ahead by the end of Sunday’s race in Spain.
But as for whether that gap that can be closed, Horner admits: “That depends on how long the season will be.
“At the moment it looks like we’re going until December, which gives us enough time to gain as much performance as possible.”
In addition, an upgrade for the RB16 is expected for the next race at Spa-Francorchamps, something advisor Helmut Marko was talking up.
“It should bring a noticeable improvement on the chassis side,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.
