Red Bull, Mercedes & Ferrari F1 Team Principals Share a Flight- What Could Go Wrong?

En route to the Australian GP, fate put the team principals of the top three teams on the same flight. A long journey to be shared between the effectively mortal enemies, it was made worse by some troubles on the flight. While Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari prepared to battle it out on track, Christian Horner, Toto Wolff, and Fred Vasseur battled their own personal demons.

The entire tale is also in context with F1’s much-debated calendar, one that has put immense strain on the lives of the drivers, engineers, and even the team bosses. Everyone involved in the F1 paddock has been vocal about the problems of competing in such a tight schedule; Horner’s story only adds to the debate.

Red Bull boss stuck with Mercedes & Ferrari rivals

In the recent BTS video of Red Bull’s weekend in Australia, Horner revealed he traveled to the other side of the world with Wolff and Vasseur. Already annoyed by the travel required, Horner was complaining about the calendar. “This is the toughest one, especially as it’s a one-off race. It’s not a back to back, so to come here for essentially three days; you just start to get into it and then you get on a plane to go home.”

To add to his misery, he was stuck in a metal box, high up in the air with his rivals. Additionally, each came with its own problems. Horner revealed that Vasseur suffered a slipped disk on the way there. Chuckling, Horner added, “He had to stand up mostly.”

And Mercedes man Toto Wolff came with his problems. “Toto had his eyes lasered or something.” And then there was one. Horner confessed, “I was recovering from food poisoning.”

Not the most fun flight for such a long trip, for sure. But such are the demands of the F1 calendar. Clearly taking a physical toll on everyone involved, what is the limit to the cost of entertainment?

Horner’s thoughts on haphazard F1 tour

Before the 2023 season, an idea of a more region-based calendar was in the works. However, while the idea didn’t reach fruition, the 2023 calendar has been far from sustainable. Hopping continents frequently, and with a lot of back and forth, there has to be room for improvement if F1 plans to expand.

Horner was open to the idea of a region-based plan, as it would make a lot more sense for everyone involved. “I think if you look at the calendar, it makes sense to group some of the races together.”

He had also added, “Some of the calendar this year when you look at the geographics of it, Azerbaijan to Montreal, going to Australia for a weekend, it’s about as expensive as you could make it.”

As the F1 fraternity rallies for a more balanced calendar, one that eases the physical and mental toll on teams, the question remains: when will these appeals translate into tangible outcomes? Only time will tell whether the sport’s decision-makers will heed the calls and take decisive action to ensure a more sustainable and equitable season for all involved.