Horner: Freight issues could 'wreak havoc' on F1 season

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner fears that any disruptions later this season with F1's freight and logistics could "wreak havoc" on any team's campaign.

Global supply chain issues triggered by the Covid pandemic have greatly impacted the transportation industry and produced a logistical bottleneck that only became worse following the onslaught of the war in Ukraine.

F1's operations haven't been immune to the problem, with Haas missing the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain due to a transportation delay, while the sport's logistical partner DHL was forced to take drastic action ahead of the Australian Grand Prix to ensure the timely delivery in Melbourne of equipment belonging to three teams.

Also, earlier this month MotoGP had to cancel the first day of running at the Argentine Grand Prix as the result of a freight delay.

As F1's season unfolds and double and triple header weekends come into play, teams are focused on stringently managing their transportation concerns along with the sport's partners, but with no margin for disruption.

But logistics aren't the only issue challenging teams, with spiraling transportations costs also weighing on every outfit's budget.

"It's a big challenge," admitted Horner. "We have a very complicated calendar and there's very tight timescales, and with some of the triple-headers, and double-headers coming up late in the year, obviously losing freight for a period of time could wreak havoc.

"So that's one issue that we're working, obviously, very closely with the logistic guys and Formula 1 with. But then, of course, there's the cost element and I think freight is close to doubling this year.

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"We see that in all the cost of living, we see inflation throughout the world.

"And I think that, when you consider that freight is something that is currently within the cap, we need to find a sensible allowance that takes into account these inflationary costs, because it has a one-on-one effect on parts and people at the end of the day.

"I think the teams by and large are looking to find a workable solution but it is a concern, it’s something that we need to address sooner rather than later."

AlphaTauri boss Franz Tost also underscored the necessity to manage things closely and to "be prepared".

"It's a big challenge of course, because of our tight schedule," said the Austrian. "But we are aware about this, which means that we have to manage it and we have to be prepared.

"Last-minute activities are not possible any more and, as a competitor, the costs are increasing dramatically. That means from the logistics side, we have a lot of problems to sort out.

"I hope that all the teams will have, in time, the cars and the equipment at the track, that we don't have any delay as it was with the MotoGP."

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