Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner believes that the new Formula 1 turbo era and all that comes with it in terms of regulation changes is costing teams over 20% more. He laments the timing of the the new regulations.
Speaking at Jerez where the first pre-season testing of 2014 is taking place, Horner said, “The problem with the rule change at the moment is that it’s probably exactly at the wrong time to do it. It’s hugely expensive and probably the biggest and most expensive rule change we’ve had that I can remember in Formula 1.
“Obviously Formula 1 has to move with the times, has to be relevant with the automotive sector to maintain interest from the automotive suppliers, but one has to question the timing of this introduction. There are a lot of cars without [sponsor] stickers out there. It’s inflicting a great deal of cost for the customer teams, the works teams less so, but for the customer teams there is a significant impact.”
On the escalating costs Horner was aksed to put a figure to the added investment required by teams, “It’s impossible to predict because it’s not just the engine, it’s the ancillaries that go with it. You could be looking at 20-25 % increase.” (GP247)
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