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Horner gets support from F1 rivals: 'We want to do it on our own'
The subject has been raised with increasing frequency recently: the possibility that the FIA would try to stop Red Bull Racing's dominance through rule changes. That Christian Horner would not agree with such an intervention seems obvious. However, rival Formula 1 teams do not like the scenario either.
Ahead of the Grand Prix weekend in Italy, where Max Verstappen recorded a record-breaking tenth consecutive victory, Horner says he thinks the current regulations work just fine. "Regulations are pretty stable and we have three sets of regulations now, technical, sporting and financial," the 49-year-old Briton began.
Horner expects more level playing field in F1 soon
"The technical and sporting playfields seem to be reasonably content. The financial one seems to have a little bit of maneuvering now and again. But I think that regulations are stable for the next couple of years," he adds. Whereas Red Bull - and to a lesser extent Williams and Aston Martin - exceeded the budget cap in 2021, all F1 teams have stayed under the limit in 2022.
Moreover, the regulations introduced in 2022 are meant to bring the teams closer together, and to some extent that is happening. "Look at the jump that McLaren made recently," Horner continued. "We fully expect there to be convergence even this year before we head into 2024."
According to the Red Bull team boss, no drastic interventions are coming for the time being, and he gives a clear reason why there is no need at all. "I'm not aware of any draconian significant regulation changes in the pipeline. We have that already for 2026, which will be a complete reset," Horner said, stressing that there is "no lack of entertainment" in the current F1 season.
Ferrari and McLaren 'don't want help' catching Red Bull
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur agrees with his rival. "Any kind of artifice like this, it's not the DNA at all of the Formula One. And on top of that, we have already the wind tunnel allocation with a kind of balance, not balance of performance, but balance of allocation, and it's enough," says the 55-year-old Frenchman.
Andrea Stella fully agrees. "Yeah, I agree. We don't want to have any help. We want to close the gap by our own means, and we like this challenge, and that's what we want for the next couple of years," said the McLaren team principal.