Christian Horner defends Liberty Media against Niki Lauda’s criticisms
Red Bull director, Christian Horner, responds to Niki Lauda's skepticism regarding the future that Liberty Media is preparing for Formula 1.
During the Brazilian Grand Prix, Niki Lauda was very critical of Liberty Media and its vision for the future of Formula 1. The new American owners of the sport are gradually revealing the outline of the upcoming engine regulations planned for 2021 and much more.
Christian Horner was keen to defend to Motorsport.com the structure now leading the category against criticism: « I think Niki’s comments were somewhat unfounded and unfair. For once, in Formula 1, specialists have been recruited alongside Ross Brawn and the team he has formed. And they are conducting proper analyses. »
For the Briton, it is normal for Liberty Media to take the time to thoroughly analyze the Formula 1 environment before deciding on its future: « Too often, there have been hasty decisions made. And maybe it’s not fast enough for Niki, but I think the approach they’re taking is the right one. I think it’s unfair to give them a hard time when they’ve only been there for nine months and haven’t yet presented their full plan. It’s inevitable that they’ll take the time to understand the business, analyze things, and then present their vision for the future of Formula 1. »
Niki Lauda’s second point of concern was the 13% decrease in revenue in the last quarter that needs to be redistributed to the teams. The distributable bonuses went from 266 million to 230 million during this period.
The director of the Austrian team explains that this is justified by an increase in investments made by the owners in the discipline to professionalize its structure: « I think this would have happened with or without the presence of Liberty (the decrease in revenue). These are the circumstances. Obviously, they are building infrastructure, they are investing in the business, it’s a different model than what existed before. Now that they have set up a marketing team, they have established an adequate commercial structure, which will obviously incur costs. But if you don’t speculate and invest in the business, you don’t make profits. And the world is moving quickly, and it’s important for Formula 1 to set up this structure. »
Horner concludes this interview by emphasizing that Red Bull is closely following the future projects presented by Liberty Media: « Red Bull has no problem with what they are doing, their approach. And we are watching their plans for 2021 with interest. »
