Sports revolve around competition that can either be healthy or intense as the dynamic that Red Bull Racing and Mercedes share. But if you believe that this renowned rivalry began at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 and only recently heated up from there, then you might be mistaken. In 2015, Horner made some jabs at Mercedes, where he also included Arnold Schwarzenegger in his statements.

Red Bull Racing’s Christian Horner had pushed the FIA to take action as per Formula 1’s engine difference among teams because he was worried that Mercedes’ dominance could be detrimental to the sport. Horner’s team had dropped in the rankings that season as a result of Renault not being able to adapt to the new turbo-hybrid power unit technology. With an engine that, according to Horner, has 100 horsepower more than the Renault, Mercedes, the defending champions from 2014, had become even more dominant.

The German Manufacturers had easily achieved a one-two finish in the Australian Grand Prix to start the season. And, according to the Red Bull’s team’s principal, 2015 was going to look the same. The Milton Keynes-based team was so troubled by everything that they indicated they might even quit the sport. While demanding tougher regulations to control Mercedes, as per Bangkok Post, Horner told the reporters, “I fear the interest will wane.” 

The Briton took a shot at Mercedes in a creative manner. Continuing his statement, he said, “I didn’t see much of Mercedes on the television and I can only imagine that it isn’t interesting watching a procession, so the producer was looking for other battles going on in the race except there. The highlight for me was Arnie Schwarzenegger [Arnold Schwarzenegger] on the podium.”

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The movie star was there that day to interview the podium sitters and present the awards. However, when Lewis Hamilton got to know about Red Bull’s concern, he opted to voice his opinion.

Lewis Hamilton went vocal on Red Bull’s concerns

The team principal was indignant as Red Bull’s dismal streak continued in the first race of the 2015 season. Their engine supplier received public jeer for providing them with engines that were “undrivable” as per Christian Horner. Even team advisor Helmut Marko publicly announced to Formula One that they were considering giving up racing at the end of their current campaign.

But while having a conversation with The Morning Show following the Australian GP, Hamilton said, “Just look at the last Grand Prix. We only had 11 cars finish the race. But it can be expected in the start of the season with cars and having a lot of time to practice and iron out the creases. So it’ll improve through the year. But we want more teams, not less teams.”

The Austrian squad, however, saw little improvement as the season went on. Hence, they began looking for alternative engine manufacturers.

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The introduction of the turbo hybrid era kicked off Mercedes’s dominance while ending Red Bull’s. The tables now seem to have turned, with the Austrian outfit possibly starting a new era of domination. Who do you think among the two will come out on top in the 2023 season?