One of the most out-spoken execs in F1 is at it again, criticizing the FIA for allowing Mercedes to become so dominant, while indirectly playing down Red Bull’s odds of competing for a title next year.
Christian Horner has voiced his concerns about Mercedes’ dominance in F1 several times, though now he’s directing the spotlight towards the 2016 seasons, when fans are actually hoping to see a more balanced upper field with fewer performance tiers separating the teams.
“Good luck with that”, is apparently the message Horner is trying to get across, since according to him, both Hamilton and Rosberg will yet again have the best car on the grid by a considerably large margin.
“I think the regulations are extremely stable for next year and obviously Mercedes will inevitably carry on the dominance, such is their margin. They will find gains over the winter, but they will undoubtedly be nearest the top of the curve and will get lesser returns than potentially others.”
This does in a sense discount Ferrari’s odds at challenging the Mercedes for the title, which isn’t completely irrational if you’re Sebastian Vettel and you’re extremely excited about the way your team went about competing in 2015. If you’re more of a pragmatist, we wouldn’t blame you for agreeing with the point that Horner is trying to get across.
“I am not sure what the bookies would offer for a repeat performance next year. I don’t think the odds are too good [that someone will beat Mercedes,” added the Red Bull team principal.
What’s fascinating is the fact that Horner didn’t shy away from mentioning his own team’s success, while also making sure we understand what the difference are between Mercedes’ current form and the one Red Bull was on during their championship run.
“I think predictable and serial results and serial winning is difficult for any sport. We were accused of it, but we never enjoyed the continuation of success or longevity of success. Two of our World Championships went to the last race and we never ever finished first and second in a World Championship. I think inevitably with that kind of predictability people get turned off and it needs a re-jig to bring it closer together. I don’t think anyone wants to see Fernando Alonso just taking part. We want to see him competing. We want to see Daniel Ricciardo competing. We want to see Sebastian Vettel competing against Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.”
While it’s easy for fans to yell out “sour grapes” at the Red Bull man, some of his points are based on facts and this type of dominance undoubtedly hurts Formula One altogether.
The solution, according to Horner, is for the regulator and the governing body to come up with better rules that cancel out what he calls “other teams self-interest”.
Story references: planetf1