Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has expressed his skepticism regarding Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion to impose a set date for teams to begin car development. Hamilton proposed the idea to prevent dominant teams from gaining an advantage by starting development on the next year’s car earlier than others.
Hamilton’s suggestion came in light of Red Bull’s current speed advantage in Formula 1, which prompted them to shift focus towards the 2023 car development at an earlier stage. However, Horner believes it would be extremely challenging to enforce such a regulation.
When asked about Hamilton’s proposal during the team principals’ press conference, Horner smiled and commented, “Well, he’s obviously talking from personal experience!”
He further explained that policing the start date for car development would be difficult, as it would be challenging to prevent teams from thinking about or working on their next year’s cars whenever they see fit.
Horner emphasized that the current regulations, such as the Aerodynamic Testing Rules sliding scale, which limits aero testing time for leading teams, already have a significant impact. The reduction of wind tunnel time acts as a handicap for teams and helps create convergence among the competitors.
Horner mentioned that the stability of regulations is crucial for convergence to occur naturally in Formula 1. He believes that by the end of 2025, teams will be more closely matched, and it is important to avoid frequent regulation changes that disrupt the convergence process.
While Hamilton’s proposal sparked a discussion about maintaining competitiveness in the sport, Horner highlights the existing mechanisms in place and the importance of stability to drive convergence among teams.
