Formula 1's condensed 2020 season could be the variable Red Bull needs to beat Mercedes, team boss Christian Horner says.
This weekend sees the start of what is expected to be a hectic few months of action, as F1 looks to fit in 15 races between now and December.
That means the first eight races currently confirmed will be held over just 10 weeks and because of the uncertainty over how many will come after that, Horner knows every moment matters.
“It’s going to be crucial to be reliable,” he said in Red Bull's Austrian Grand Prix preview.
“There’s going to be a lot of races that come thick and fast and it’s going to be an intense period for everybody involved.
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“They’re going from 0 to 100mph, from having not raced since November last year we’re going to be in July, so over seven months’ downtime for these drivers.
“It’s going to be an exciting first few laps, and it’s going to be important to maximise our chances and opportunities.
“It’s an unusual year, but maybe that’s what we need to take the challenge to the all-dominant Mercedes who have won everything for the past six years.”
Even before the near-four-month delay to go racing due to Covid-19, 2020 was being billed as a fight between Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
And Horner is hopeful his team can give their Brackley-based rivals the biggest challenge of the hybrid era so far.
“We all go into the first race with the same amount of points, so I think the pressure on Max is no different to previous years,” he said.
“I think he recognises we had a good winter, we came out of pre-season testing well, Mercedes were still the form team to beat but it felt like we had some real potential in our car so that’s going to be crucial as we head into the season.
“For sure they [Mercedes] start the season as the favourites, but I sincerely hope and believe in Max and Alex [Albon] that we have a very strong team and hopefully we can provide them with the equipment and tools to mount a challenge on Mercedes this year.”
