Christian Horner Fia Spa
Christian Horner Fia Spa
To say Christian Horner has not been very fond of the FIA this season is a huge understatement. From the huge debacle with them and Toto about how the governing body intends to deal with porpoising, to how they have been inconsistent, to say the least when implementing track limits during races. And it seems as though Christian has found another issue to slam the FIA with. So what could it be? And how is the team gearing up to keep their momentum going as the 2nd half of the season is a few days away? Well let’s talk about it then, but before we do consider subscribing to the channel so you don’t miss out on our latest uploads. Now let’s get started, shall we?
As mentioned earlier, the Christian and the FIA have a feisty relationship to say the least and it seems as though it won’t be calming down anytime sooner as the Red Bull team boss has another issue with the governing body. As the sport of F1 has grown in these recent years, new race venues that attract big crowds such as street races are being added to the calendar to maximize revenue streams which leaves race venues like Spa and Monaco on the brink of being taken off the calendar.
As we speak right now, both Monaco and Spa don’t have a deal in place yet despite most F1 purists who have followed the sport for a long time now wanting to keep the venue on the calendar. And it seems as though Christian would be one them saying that he believes that the Belgium Grand Prix is too historic to be taken off the calendar. In Christian’s words:
“There should be a few races – Monaco, Silverstone, Spa, Monza – they’re the big ones, the historic ones, and I think we should ringfence and really protect those. It’s great that these new venues are coming in and that there is interest but you’ve got to have that history. It would be like having the ATP tour without Wimbledon. I think they’re part of our history, they’re part of our DNA. We’ll definitely make our opinion known, but you’ve got to trust the people that are running the business at the end of the day.”
And when Christian was asked about whether or not he worries that the FIA may be the cause of the team’s demise once the season resumes, he would reply with:
“Always, but you have to worry about the things you can control, not the things you can’t. There will always be frustrations, but you just have to deal with it and get on with it. I think the sport has never been in better health. Wherever we go, there are record sell-out crowds. The viewing figures are through the roof. Interest in the sport is at an all-time high, the product’s great and the racing is strong. I think generally we are going in the right direction. Of course, there’s the odd bump in the carpet but it’s only to be expected. They have had big changes within their organisation in the last six months. It’s a work in progress. I’m sure they will sort it out. I think you will always want consistency [of decisions]. It’s the most important thing. It’s easy to underestimate the roles these guys do. “Making sure they have the right support around them is vital.”
Speaking of focusing on things they can control, one of the underlying issues the team has had to deal with amidst their success is just how heavy the RB18 has been compared to their competitors. Many believed that this was the main cause for their rapid tire degradation problems in Austria that caused the team and Max Verstappen a P1 finish. So as expected, the team has been hard at work this summer break to address the issue by installing a new and lighter monocoque.
The RB18 was reportedly at 805 kilograms at the start of the season, which is 7 kgs over the minimum weight. Christian Horner reckons that Ferrari is the closest team to the minimum weight and that the team is aiming to gain 2 to 3 tenths of lap time once they get their weight issues under control. So how have they actually been trying to achieve this?
The team has built 3 new chassis that reportedly cost 2 million euros each which is quite expensive considering there is a budget cap to be taken into account and that the team has introduced an upgrade on almost every race this season. But with the revision of the budget cap to take into account the recent economic inflation Red Bull may be able to keep its finances just within the cap if you also add in the FIA crash test that is required before it is deemed safe and legal for racing use.
Many analysts believe that if Red Bull is able to squeeze in the new monocoque in their budget, that upgrade will ensure the team’s title chances in both championships as Red Bull is 97 points ahead of Ferrari, while Max Verstappen is 80 points ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings.
Speaking of Max, not only is he on the brink of a back-to-back title but the Austrian driver also has the opportunity a long-standing record held only by Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, which is winning 13 races in a single season. And recently, Max was asked on what he thinks makes an incredible driver.
“There is no doubt that in F1 it is important to have a very good car. There are a lot of good drivers, but if you don’t have the right car you can’t win the championship, said Verstappen. The gap in the level of the teams is also huge when you see only three teams out of the ten competing for victory. F1 you usually have a big rule change every four or five years. Maybe we should stop that and then the level of all the teams would slowly get closer. After that I think the driver also plays a big role. Where a driver makes the difference is when the conditions are difficult, when there is competition with another team, when you really fight. It’s in those scenarios that the difference is made. Otherwise, there are so many good drivers in the world, even outside F1. But for those in F1, the difference between the good and the very good is in the decisive moments. If, for example, there is a race in the rain, or in very difficult conditions more generally, or in decisive qualifying, that’s when you can make the difference, or score just a bit more points than your teammate for example.”
And while most are talking about the absoluteness of another driver’s title for Max, his teammate Sergio Perez is laser-focused on making a comeback once the season starts. While it may seem like a distant memory to most of us right now, we must remember that Sergio was a real threat to the title during the earlier parts of the season before bad luck and sheer lack of pace compared to Max hampered his results. But even so, Sergio would say in a recent interview that he still believes in his chances to catch up with Max by saying:
“I think at the moment everything is still very open, so we have to keep pushing. Ferrari have been a bit faster than us in the last couple of races, so we just have to keep pushing hard and anything can happen. I think [when] we return… we go underway very quickly so we will see after three or four races… where everything is at. So hopefully by then we will be able to close up the gap.”
Perez would also point out the DNFs he’s had to take this season as the main culprit to him following off Verstappen’s pace saying:
I think what has really killed my first half of the season has been the DNFs, to be honest. Without those DNFs my championship would have looked a lot different to what it is now. But overall, I think there are a lot of positives to take already from this half season. Still, it’s a very long season.”
And there you have it guys, so what do you think? Should Spa stay in the calendar? Is Max already a lock for the title? Or will his teammate make things interesting? Let us know in the comment section below and as always don’t forget to like and subscribe to the channel if you haven’t!
