Horner critical: "There's nothing cheap about them"

Some team bosses would like to start working with a salary cap in the future in Formula 1. Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing absolutely disagree, De Telegraaf wrote last weekend. In the press conference for team principals, Christian Horner was asked about the idea of a salary cap. The team boss of the Austrian racing stable kept his head down and immediately broadened the subject.

Lower salaries would benefit teams and their owners, so such a measure would also seem to benefit Red Bull. Horner does not release much about his employer's position on a salary cap. He states that having a cap is of course fine in itself, but that its application is quite difficult because the reporting structures of companies, and those of Formula One teams in particular, are particularly complex.

Horner wants to address other issues

The 50-year-old top executive goes on to state that, in his opinion, there is currently too much focus on the budget ceiling. Making the sport cheaper can also be done in other, more efficient ways. "I think you've got to look at where your cost drivers are," he explains. "I think as Formula 1, we need to do a better job at looking at technical regulations, sporting regulations, because we're still designing and manufacturing very expensive cars. You know, the engine regulations for 2026. There's nothing cheap about them."

In Horner's view, it is better to address such issues first. "What we don't want to see is that Formula 1 becomes an accounting world championship, you know, rather than a technical or sporting one." Red Bull's team boss would like to see a close look at some of the fundamentals that are responsible for making today's cars so incredibly expensive to build.