Ralf Schumacher names F1 team principal that is ‘overestimated’ in paddock

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The Formula 1 paddock is known for being the ‘piranha club’ of motorsport, having seen many pass through over the years.

Remarkably the two most experienced team principals are currently Mercedes Toto Wolff and Red Bull’s Christian Horner, who has been in his post for the last 18 years.

Horner has overseen a lot of success at the helm of Red Bull including seven Drivers’ Championships between Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen and six Constructors’ titles.

Red Bull is going through a rough patch despite starting off the 2024 season in a strong position with the RB20, having been recently overtaken by McLaren in the Constructors’ battle.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

It is the first time they have not led the way since early 2022 and marks a turning point for last year’s most dominant team.

Horner is the man tasked with getting things back on track, but former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has questioned whether he is the right person when speaking to Formel1.de.

Ralf Schumacher thinks Christian Horner ‘overestimated’ at Red Bull

Red Bull has suffered several key members departing the team in recent months, with head of race strategy Will Courtenay becoming the most recent to defect over to McLaren alongside aerodynamicist Rob Marshall.

Schumacher believes Marshall’s impact at Red Bull has been seen since he left the team, having also criticised technical director Pierre Wache for being ‘not up to the task’ for turning around Red Bull’s fortunes.

Now Schumacher has turned his attention to Horner, believing that he is struggling to turn things around without having the genius of Adrian Newey and the help from experienced hands.

“The team is missing that one who can click it all together,” said Schumacher.

“Christian Horner is also missing. I think that he is someone who is incredibly experienced and does a great job but if you look at the last year when he’s on his own, maybe he’s a bit overestimated.”

Can Red Bull hold back McLaren in the final six races?

Red Bull is now under increased pressure to defend their title in the final six races of the season, with doubts cast on whether they will beat McLaren.

The team has an upgrade to the RB20 floor coming at the United States Grand Prix which they are hopeful will put them back on track, after spending both the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix gathering data.

Helmut Marko has conceded that the Constructors’ title might be out of reach, but if both Verstappen and Sergio Perez can improve their results then it could see them close the 40-point gap to McLaren.

Jaques Villeneuve believes Perez must keep challenging Verstappen in the final six races to stand a chance of keeping his seat for next season, otherwise it could go to Liam Lawson who recently replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB.