Horner: The driver is not a big enough variable

Speaking during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, Horner said, "I’ve got a slightly different slant on it, I suppose. For me, the most damaging thing over the last five years has been the introduction of the current engine regulations."

"I think if you look at Formula One as a whole, I think the regulations for both chassis and engine are too complicated. That drives cost, it drives complexity, it drives distance between the teams, so for me, I’d be all for simplification."

"Simplification of the power unit, simplification of the chassis, go back to basics of making the driver the biggest variable, whereas at the moment the driver is not a big enough variable. We want the best drivers competing against each other."

"I think you’re always going to get variances depending on the skillset of the teams, and even if the teams have all equal budgets, you will still have teams that will perform better than others. That’s competition. We see it in other formulas."

"For me, the biggest issue in Formula 1 at the moment is the regulations that dictate cost, performance and divergence in terms of powertrain," added Horner.