Horner asks the FIA to intervene to break Mercedes’ lead
After an Australian Grand Prix that confirmed Mercedes' domination over the rest of the field, the Red Bull team principal called on the FIA to regulate in order to homogenize the performances of the hybrid V6 turbo engines.
Red Bull’s director, Christian Horner, has called on the FIA to take measures to equalize the performance among the different engines in the field in order to homogenize the grid in the discipline.
A year and a half after the end of the 2013 season, marking the total triumph of the Bull which had just secured four constructors’ titles and four drivers’ titles during the last years of the naturally aspirated V8, Red Bull is now in great difficulty with its Renault hybrid turbo V6, with Daniel Ricciardo having finished the Australian Grand Prix in 6th position, a lap behind the Mercedes.
It doesn’t take much for the leaders of the Milton Keynes team to get annoyed with such a situation and demand that the FIA take action: « When we were winning, and we never won with the advantage that [Mercedes has], I remember that double-diffusers were banned, exhausts were modified, flexible bodywork elements were banned, mid-season engine mapping was changed, » explained Horner, as reported by Autosport.
« Everything has been done, and it wasn’t unique to Red Bull. Whether it was Williams in previous years or McLaren, I think it’s healthy to have a [tight] situation. The FIA, with the regulations, has an equalization mechanism; I think it’s something they should perhaps look at, » he added.
While he acknowledges the excellent work of the star brand, he believes that such dominance is bad for Formula 1: « It takes nothing away from Mercedes, they have done a great job. They have a good car, a fantastic engine, and two very good drivers. The problem is that the gap is so large that we have a championship with three divisions, and this is not healthy for F1. »
According to Horner, the solution for equalization is relatively simple to implement: « The FIA has a torque sensor on each engine. They can see what each hybrid unit produces, and they have the data. They could easily implement a form of equalization. »
When asked about the comments from his counterpart, Toto Wolff, the executive director of Mercedes AMG F1, replied: « If you come into Formula 1 and try to perform at the highest level, and equalization is what you need after the first race and you shout about it, that’s not how we did it in the past. I say: put your head down, work hard, and solve the problems. It’s always a political season; it was last year, and it will be this year. »
