Horner: Red Bull won't fade away next season

Tuesday 3rd November 2009

Christian Horner is convinced Red Bull will be no one-hit wonders.

Horner is fully expecting McLaren and Ferrari's recent resurgence to spill over into next season's campaign.

But he feels Red Bull, who pushed Brawn GP all the way in the title battle this year, will remain at the front to challenge rather than fall by the wayside.

"There's no room for complacency in this sport," Horner said.

"We've beaten some formidable opponents this year, but they're not going to be sleeping.

"They have demonstrated in the second half of the year that they have worked very hard to recover, and by winning races in Ferrari and McLaren's case, so I'm sure they will be formidable opponents again next year.

"But, we will learn lessons from this year and I think, as the team has developed, it has only got stronger.

"I'm convinced it can continue to evolve, and with continuity in our line-up we're perfectly placed to build on this year's campaign."

Come the conclusion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, race winner Sebastian Vettel finished 11 points adrift of Champion Jenson Button.

In the Constructors' standings, Red Bull were 18.5 points behind Brawn, missing out on both titles due to reliability issues.

Button and Rubens Barrichello, who was on Monday confirmed as a Williams driver for next season, failed to score points on just three occasions between them.

Compare that to Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber's tally of 12 no-scores and it is easy to see why Button and Brawn are Champions.

Despite that, and drawing on the positives, Horner added: "Second is a fantastic achievement for the team.

"In many respects the team is still very young and it's only our fifth season in Formula One.

"To have achieved 16 podiums, six wins, five pole positions and six fastest laps, including four one-two finishes, as well as in excess of 150 points, is a massive achievement.

"We were Championship contenders right up until the penultimate race, however, the Championship ultimately wasn't lost in Brazil.

"You have to show respect to the season Jenson and Brawn had, with a very dominant early display in the Championship. We were playing catch-up thereafter.

"But I think the effort that has gone into the car has been superb from every member of the team. They can be very proud.

"Although second is one place off our ultimate target, it's still a very good result.

"We will learn a lot of lessons from this year, which will only make us stronger going into 2010."

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