In a recent interview, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has responded to Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion of implementing an enforced development date in Formula 1.
Horner dismissed Hamilton’s idea, stating that it would be challenging to police and that the field is naturally converging without artificial assistance.
During the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton expressed his support for establishing a specific date when all teams could begin their development process.
He argued that this would eliminate any head start advantage and create a level playing field for all competitors.
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Hamilton explained, “If everyone had a time, for example, if everyone knew when we can really start, whatever date it is, then no one has a head start.
“Then it’s a real race in that short space of time for the future car.”
Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, has been vocal about addressing the dominance of Red Bull’s RB19 challenger, as the team has achieved a clean sweep of victories in the 2023 season.
With Hamilton now 38 years old, he is eager to see the Milton Keynes-based team reined in as he pursues his eighth world title.
In response to Hamilton’s proposal, Horner highlighted the difficulties of implementing such a system.
He commented, “[Hamilton is] obviously talking from personal experience.
“I think it would be an incredibly hard thing to police.
“How on earth could you say, ‘Right, 1 August, go?’ How do you prevent people thinking about or working on next year’s cars?”
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Horner also elaborated on how the Formula 1 grid would naturally converge in the upcoming seasons leading up to the 2026 regulation change.
He stated, “Not messing with the regulations will always create convergence.
“You can see that convergence is already starting to happen.