Red Bull’s new RB10 Formula One car was still being completed as the first day of testing began, team principal Christian Horner admitted.
“The car is still extremely new and is still being completed as we speak,” said Horner during the first day of testing. “I think there’s a small set-up issue that the guys want to have correct before we go out on track.”
However Horner praised his team’s efforts in getting the car ready to run: “The effort that has gone in from the team behind the scenes has been quite outstanding.”
“You think that we only started our crash testing ten days ago while others have been doing that for several months, it’s been a Herculean effort by every member of the team at Milton Keynes to have a car here at the first test is an achievement in itself.”
Horner said the cost of building a car to the new regulations would be 20 to 25% higher than last year, and suggested the rules change has come at the wrong time.
“I think the problem with the rules change at the moment is it’s probably exactly the wrong time to do it because it’s hugely expensive. It’s probably the biggest rules change, the most expensive rules change we’ve had that I can remember in Formula One.
“Obviously Formula One has to move with the times, has to be relevant to the automotive sector to remain interest from automotive supplies.
“But one has to question perhaps the timing of this introduction because, you know, there’s a lot of cars without stickers on there and it’s inflicting a great deal of cost. Particularly for the customer teams – for the works teams obviously less so – but for the customer teams there is significant input.”
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Image ?é?® Red Bull/Getty
BJ (@beejis60)
28th January 2014, 13:14
Interesting nose tip solution…
But where are the nosecone cameras?
Pemz (@pemsell)
28th January 2014, 15:13
Is this the ‘silly problem’ Newey mentioned?
Joshua Mesh (@joshua-mesh)
28th January 2014, 20:39
They dont need to run them during testing.
andae23 (@andae23)
28th January 2014, 13:15
So the car is a bit behind schedule and furthermore the car that was launched this morning looks to be pretty conservative.. this might be they year we see a different car at the front.
Lucas Wilson (@full-throttle-f1)
28th January 2014, 13:17
@andae23
I wouldn’t bet on it for now.
BasCB (@bascb)
28th January 2014, 14:44
Or Red Bull just throw more money at it to bring a complete make-over @andae23.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
28th January 2014, 18:06
@andae23 or, as I would predict, Red Bull are working on something which is immensely complex – a team with that amount of resources wouldn’t be struggling to complete a “bare” car otherwise (unless 2013 really took a lot out of them, but I doubt that since they won the title so early).
Harmen Greven
28th January 2014, 21:21
I think you are right, they started earlier than most teams and as in other times they seem slow on delivery, eventhough they have enough recources. Conclusion they are trying to put a better car together. My guess it can do better than other cars and with a driver like Vettel, who likes more complicated driving, they will.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
28th January 2014, 13:21
Umm… how can you really question the timing if we knew this was coming since like 2 or 3 years ago?
I mean… obviously the teams are in bad shape, but how much time do you need to adjust yourself to those changes? would it made a difference if the changes were scheduled for 2015?
I don’t get it.
curmudgeon (@curmudgeon)
28th January 2014, 13:50
@fer-no65 I sort of understand what Horner is trying to say. Perhaps the engine changes should have been phased in over a longer period. Start with a more powerful KERS, for example.
The word economy has been in a funk since 2008 and the end is not in sight. Governments have responded with austerity which might be the wrong response. Corporate spending on advertising is constrained (lack of stickers). Cars in the mid-field and the backmarkers may no longer be able to afford to compete. Caterham has threatened to end its participation, Lotus is going on with creative accounting and a great workforce. Sauber, FI?
Now FIA and FOM want to cap spending? First require a massive increase in cost to participate in the formula, then demand that those costs be lowered. I agree, I don’t get it.
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
28th January 2014, 15:08
@curmudgeon I sort of understand it too. Considering last year Sauber, Lotus, Force India, Marussia all were reportedly said to be in really bad shape, timing isn’t good.
But had it happened in 2015 it’d be the same, really. This sort of changes is better in the long term too. Honda will be returning, so that’s good. Maybe other manufacturers will join, and it’d lift the sport a bit.
Of course, you can also mention the stupid decisions made by FIA which had nothing to do with costs (double points for instance), yet make F1 look even less healthy…
matt90 (@matt90)
28th January 2014, 13:42
I’ve seen him repeatedly complaining about this recently. It seems odd to me that he’s bothering to complain about it now- it’s done.
WilliamB (@william-brierty)
28th January 2014, 13:45
Frankly, if Red Bull keep moaning about this regulation change then I am going to have to start genuinely believing the fact that they are in trouble. Why is it bad timing? Because you were so dominant last year? Why is the cost such a bad thing? Has Red Bull, one of the richest teams on the grid, sudden broken out in sympathy for the poorer teams? Hardly. The regulations are the same for everyone, and if you have the resource, which Red Bull and Renault do, then you are perfectly capable of taking the title. Quit whining and get on with it…
Gareth J (@gjessopp)
28th January 2014, 13:48
In my head I can see Newey and Vettel as Q and James Bond with Q saying “It’s not quite perfected yet”. I have the feeling though that all teams are in the same boat.
Sherlock
28th January 2014, 14:00
Horner sounds a bit whiny – “we cracs-tested just10 days ago”, “wrong time for rule change – no stickers”, “very expensive”.
Is it the first day in F1 for the guy?
Maciek (@maciek)
28th January 2014, 14:04
Par for the course – major changes to adapt to when you’ve gotten comfortable being king of the hill is never going to go down easy.
Precisely why major change was needed.
Alex Lillo (@nordic)
28th January 2014, 14:20
Maybe the fact that they’ve only crash-tested 10 days ago is not that bad. You have all the dates set long time ago, if you’re confident that you can deliver and be ready for testing in Jerez, why not spend more time designing the car and be confident you have the best package out there? Specially if you have more money to burn.
Terry Saunders
28th January 2014, 14:40
Maybe Red Bull won’t be at the front this year (at first at least).
When Newey or Horner complain about the rules to the press it normally means that they are battling hard behind the scenes to change things. See tyres last year, diffuser stuff etc.
They’re not short of money and haven’t shown much in the way of leniancy to smaller teams in the past.
Complaining about these rules means they haven’t mastered them.
bosyber (@bosyber)
28th January 2014, 16:09
It is a bit annoying; while Horner, Newey and Vettel all brought up points of contention or worry with the new rules, the fact that all I hear from Red Bull is mostly negative about the new rules makes me feel they are campaigning again and makes me distrust what they say, even Newey. Oh, maybe to double points races doesn’t help with that Horner.
Jason
28th January 2014, 19:07
Like the sound of this, it probably means Redbull is in trouble.
Jono (@me262)
29th January 2014, 2:59
can we see the back of it? its what most of the other drivers will be seeing this year..