(Melbourne) The principal manager of the Red Bull team has criticized the stricter interpretation of a rule which prohibits Formula 1 team employees from climbing the pit wall to celebrate a victory.
Christian Horner said at the Australian Grand Prix on Friday that F1 will lose by halting what he described as “iconic” celebrations after the sport’s governing body FIA issued a new safety memo before Sunday’s Australian race, the third in this year’s series.
F1 race director Niels Wittich has unveiled instructions stating that “it is forbidden to climb over a pit wall debris barrier at any time”.
Citing that team personnel are only allowed into the pit lane just before or after working on a car, the memo states that employees must exit as soon as work is completed.
“Any action by a team that violates this prohibition will be reported to the race marshals,” the statement said.
After Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recorded the fastest lap of the first practice session around the Albert Park circuit on Friday, Horner appeared baffled by the new measurement.
“I’m surprised it’s an issue, to be honest with you, but I think anything about safety, obviously, has to be taken very, very seriously,” he said.
“But it’s quite an iconic moment to see a Grand Prix car finish a Grand Prix and its team celebrate on a barrier, as long as it’s done in a safe manner. Personally, I’ve never seen a problem with this. It has always been part of the Grands Prix. »
Zak Brown, chief executive of McLaren, said he was unsure what prompted the move, with teams risking penalties for breaches.
“I’m not aware of an incident. That said, safety is of paramount importance to all of us and if they feel it’s potentially unsafe, and those are the rules, then we’ll stick to it. »
On a different note, Horner is happy that Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez are dueling on the track. However, he noted, they must remember that the team comes first.
The rivalry between the teammates has been the subject of much discussion this season, with the two men sharing the honors of the first two races of the year, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen leads the Drivers’ Championship by one point over Perez after earning a bonus point for setting the fastest lap in Jeddah two weeks ago.
Perez made it clear he wanted to fight for the championship and Horner acknowledged it was normal for teammates to keep pushing each other.
“(Sergio’s) confidence is at an all-time high. And that’s exactly what we want. We want two riders who will push and challenge each other,” he said.
“They’re competitive animals and they’re both racing drivers, at the end of the day. But they know the rules of engagement, which is that the team must come first, especially at this stage of the year. »
Meanwhile, the FIA says it has completed its review of the bizarre circumstances that saw Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso demoted from third to fourth in Jeddah for a starting grid infraction, before returning to the decision soon after on appeal.
The FIA has clarified the wording of a “work on the car” rule and how it will be regulated, and also expanded the starting grid boxes for the Australian Grand Prix.
After dominating the first two races, Red Bull was again the leader in Friday’s two practice sessions.
Verstappen’s time of 1 minute, 18,790 seconds in the opening session was the quickest of the two sessions, and 0.433 seconds quicker than seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes ride in the first session. trials.
On a tricky day for the drivers, with the Red Bull duo among the drivers who lost control in the first session, heavy rain hit Albert Park midway through the second practice session.
Alonso, who finished third in each of the first two races, set the best time in the second practice session at 1:18.887.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who won the 2022 Australian Grand Prix, was second fastest ahead of Verstappen.
Quebecer Lance Stroll, Alonso’s teammate with Aston Martin, ranked 10th in the first session (1; 19,766) and 16th in the second (1: 20,579).