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‘Brave’ drivers will be rewarded in F1 2017 – Horner

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner says the 'braver' drivers stand to benefit from the shake-up in F1 regulations this season and soften the impact of the car itself.

The 2017 F1 season will see the technical regulations overhauled in an effort to strengthen the effect of the chassis and the drivers following criticism that the current V6 Hybrid regulations - in place since 2014 - are too influenced by the engine used.

As such, aerodynamic and tyre tweaks will make the cars look more aggressive and be more physical to drive, a shift welcomed by Horner as he believes it will serve to differentiate between the drivers and their 'braveness' behind the wheel.

"It will balance it up a bit," he said. "The cars will be more physical, more challenging and it will differentiate the drivers more than what we see at the moment. The braver drivers will be awarded and it will be a more exciting spectacle as well.

"The cars really will be quite something to see with the kind of cornering speeds they are going to achieve."

Red Bull is being touted as the team with most to gain from the revised regulations after showing strong form in 2016 despite continuing to be down on straight-line speed with the Renault engine compared with its Mercedes and Ferrari-powered counterparts.

With Red Bull set to embark on its first full season with race winners Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, Horner is excited by the opportunity presented to its for 2017.

"Changing the rules shakes things up a bit. I'm sure Toto will like to freeze the cars for the next five years. I think that a change in regulations presents a great opportunity for us.

"We have a strong team, a strong driver pairing and we have all the ingredients to put a strong campaign together for next year. Hopefully we'll close that gap down to the dominance we have seen with Mercedes. 

Zdroj: crash.net