Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is calling for a clarification of the rules. His plea comes in the wake of the controversial Mexican Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen and Lando Norris had several on-track encounters. The Dutchman ended up on the losing end, and Horner is now stepping up to defend his driver.
Verstappen was immediately hit with two ten-second time penalties in the opening phase of the Mexican race for his actions against Lando Norris. The Dutchman received the first penalty for pushing the McLaren driver off the track, while his second penalty was for overtaking the Brit off the track. Red Bull team principal Horner is stepping up to defend Verstappen and is calling for a clarification of the regulations.
“I’m just afraid that we (the rules, ed.) might be making it too complicated,” he told the media present. “And all I would like to do is encourage a constructive discussion between the drivers and the stewards to say: okay, there are four races left, what is and what is not acceptable.”
Advantage of the Outer Line
Horner also advocates for the regulations to be fairer. “There’s great racing going on and I think it’s just important that the rules are fair rather than giving an advantage to the outer line,” the Brit explains.
According to the Red Bull team principal, there is an unfair advantage for the driver who is on the outside during an overtaking manoeuvre. “In the history of motorsport, it has always been riskier to be on the outside, but now it’s almost advantageous. You just need to have your nose (ahead of your rival’s car, ed.) at the moment they take the corner, regardless of whether you’re going to make the corner or not,” Horner continues.
“It just changes a principle that used to be more advantageous to have the inside line. Now it’s more advantageous if you have the outer line, brake later and claim a violation,” says the team principal.
