McLaren cracks plan Horner and Red Bull: "Doesn't match Formula 1 DNA"

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24 April 2020 at 18:17
Last update 24 April 2020 at 21:07
  • GPblog.com

Last week Christian Horner came up with the idea of having smaller teams in Formula 1 use customer cars in 2021. This means that the top teams will sell their cars, so that the lesser gods in the royal class of motorsport can save a lot of costs and thus stay alive more easily despite the corona crisis. However, Zak Brown doesn't think that's a good plan.

The smaller race stables are already buying a lot of parts for the car today from Red Bull Racing, Mercedes and Ferrari, but they still have to spend a lot of money to develop the parts they don't buy. By buying an almost complete car from one of the top teams, the smaller teams should be competitive quickly at low cost.

However, Guenther Steiner has already indicated that he doesn't like the idea of Red Bull and the team boss of Haas F1 will receive support from McLaren director Brown on Friday. "I think the last time we drove customer cars was in the 70's", he said to Motorsport.com and others. "In Formula 1 everything revolves around our own manufacturers. So I don't see how this idea would fit with the DNA of the constructors' championship and with the desire to be technically innovative".

Ferrari holds a powerful position with veto

The 48-year-old American calls it a 'solution of the seventies' and only pleads for a further reduction of the budget ceiling. However, Red Bull and Ferrari are still at odds, with the latter having a veto right. "In the end it is up to the FIA and Formula 1 to make a choice. But if there is a majority in favour (further reduction), I don't believe that they can make it to sweep those proposals off the table with a veto, for example," said Brown, who would find it strange if Ferrari could think purely in its own interest and not have to think along with what the sport currently needs.