Horner on…
…new F1 regulations
How crucial are the next regulations to the way Red Bull will look at the sport?
“I think what’s important is Formula One gets back to the cars being dramatic, exciting, hard to drive, it’s the best drivers in the world competing wheel-to-wheel. We’ve got to put the spectacularness back in to Formula One, and I think there’s a great opportunity to do that for 2017.”
Are things moving in the right direction?
“Most definitely.”
Even within the Strategy Group, which is often criticised for failing to reach a common consensus?
“I think on 2017 actually everybody is pretty much on the same page now.”
But is there not a danger another big regulation change could hurt the smaller teams?
“Any regulation change costs money. The important thing is to change for the right reasons which in turn should bring money in to the sport. On the one hand we have got to look at costs and on the other we’ve got to look at income.”
Do enough big corporations want to get involved in F1? Is that a concern which is driving the change?
“I think that Formula One needs to position itself as the most exciting formula of motor racing in the world. I think by making the cars five or six seconds a lap quicker, a bit more aggressive looking, harder to drive, more spectacular, ensure that the racing is strong and wheel-to-wheel and that the teams are competitive.
“At the end of the day Formula One doesn't exist without the fans and if the fans aren't turned on by what they see they’re going to switch off. We have to make sure that Formula One engages with the current fan base and a broader fan base.”
