Horner effort to ban shark fins unsuccessful

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Red Bull's Christian Horner led the charge to ban the now ubiquitous 'shark fin' which teams have incorporated into their 2017 aero packages.

The Red Bull Racing boss expressed his negative opinion on the concept in no uncertain terms in Barcelona during day 1 of pre-season testing.

"I think the cars look fantastic," he said, "the only thing that lets them down is the shark fins.

"It's something that we raised at the Formula One Strategy Group meeting last year, to ask that all teams remove them, because it is pretty marginal the performance gain that they offer.

"In the interests of aesthetics, it was requested that they be removed. That went to the Formula One commission and unfortunately was immediately rejected by the majority of teams."

Hamilton and Vettel lead the way on Day 1 in Spain

Red Bull painted its own dorsal fin on its new RB13 black in an attempt to minimize its presence visually.

"I think it's wrong to ignore the aesthetics on a car," added Horner.

"Unfortunately this is a consequence of the rules but one that should have been able to be addressed quite quickly."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.