Christian Horner could be forgiven for thinking that Formula 1 has been a bit of a broken record for Red Bull during the turbo hybrid era.
This is yet another season in which many observers have predicted that Horner's team will emerge as the greatest threat to Mercedes. But despite the obvious qualities of Red Bull's young, ambitious driver line-up and technical strength in depth, questions remain about the Renault engine.
While those fundamentals have not changed ahead of the latest campaign, singling out one factor for underperformance can lead a team to complacency and folly. Formula 1 is a constantly changing form of sport that demands continuous evolution - and restless self-examination. It would have been very easy for Red Bull to carry on blaming Renault for its competitive shortfalls, even in the face of evidence that the team itself had authored some of its own troubles, particularly last season.
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