“We just want a level playing field” – Red Bull boss Christian Horner has spoken out on the importance of fair judgement on the part of the FIA for the season-defining Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Considering what’s in stake in the Abu Dhabi GP later today, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to witness the championship protagonists Red Bull and Mercedes launch a tirade of protests against each other during the race.
But what if there is/are post-season protests?
This was put out to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who expectedly, went full diplomatic.
“Regarding the question for me, are we going to protest?
“We have made our points clear a few races ago, to the FIA, about things we were unhappy with.
“The FIA have introduced stringent tests and I believe modifications have been made to our competitor’s car. So we just want a level playing field and I think hopefully we have that. We rely on the FIA to police that.
“It’s an incredibly complex sport. There’s a huge talent pool of engineering skill that look and interpret these regulations with tremendous ingenuity and that’s part of the appeal of Formula 1, but we rely wholeheartedly on the FIA to make sure these things are policed and adjudicated correctly.
“I think, hopefully with the tools they now have, that certainly will be the case.”
Mercedes have all but won the Constructors’ Championship for the eighth consecutive season, but an incredible lot is riding on the Drivers’ Championship.
Reigning and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and challenger Max Verstappen are level on a mond-boggling 369.5 points, with the latter holding a slight advantage due to a better race win record of 9-8.
