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Horner: 'More could have been done' on downforce cuts

Red Bull boss Christian Horner says that Formula 1 teams will quickly find ways to recover all the downforce lost as a result of new technical rules and regulations.

The sport is trying to cut the amount of downforce on cars in a bid to make on-track racing closer and more exciting for fans.

A reduction in downforce is also needed to take some of the strain off the Pirelli tyre compounds, which will remain unchanged for a third consecutive season despite all the latest upgrades on the cars.

But Horner fears that the cuts in downforce didn't go far enough as the teams will soon find new ways to get back what they've lost as a result of the changes.

Pirelli denies 2021 downforce cut done for 'safety reasons'

"I think the teams will get back all the downforce that it perhaps takes off," Horner told Autosport magazine. "Maybe more could have been done.

"The rate of progress in F1 is such that - if there are concerns about the load of the tyre - maybe more should have been looked at."

However Horner admitted that any major change in the sport had to weigh the benefits against the costs involved.

"Whenever you change something it does introduce cost, because whatever you change creates differences. It’s finding that balance.”

Horner's thoughts are not shared by Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur, who felt that the downforce changes will have a big impact when they're introduced in 2021.

"I don’t want to speak about points, but it will be huge, and it’s also probably necessary for the tyres," he said. “I think it was the right move from the FIA.”

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.