Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, has dismissed Lewis Hamilton’s idea for an enforced development date, citing the difficulties of monitoring and enforcing such a rule.
Horner argues that the field is already naturally converging without the need for artificial intervention.
Hamilton expressed his thoughts on the matter during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, suggesting, “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.”
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The 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 2023.
At 38 years of age, Hamilton is eager to challenge for his eighth world title.
When presented with Hamilton’s proposal, Horner responded by acknowledging that Hamilton’s perspective is likely influenced by personal experience.
However, he expressed doubts about the feasibility of implementing such a rule. Horner questioned how one could effectively police and determine a specific date, asking, “How on earth could you say, ‘Right, 1 August, go?’
“How do you prevent people from thinking about or working on next year’s cars?”
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Horner further explained that the field is already in the process of naturally converging, pointing to the ongoing competitiveness among teams.
He stated, “Not messing with the regulations will always create convergence. You can see that convergence is already starting to happen.
“By the time we get to the end of 2025, probably all the teams will be very converged, and then we screw it all up and go again in 2026.”