Horner concerned 2021 F1 plans being 'watered down'

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has expressed concerns that plans for Formula 1 from 2021 are being "watered down" due to a lack of alignment between those in charge of running the sport.

F1 is set to introduce an overhauled set of technical regulations from 2021 in a bid to improve the on-track spectacle, as well as revising the commercial structure to try and create a more level playing field for all teams while making the sport more sustainable for its competitors.

The first rough plans for F1's post-2020 world emerged at the Bahrain Grand Prix in April, with talks ongoing between the commercial rights holder and teams ever since in a bid to get a more precise definition of what the regulations - both technical and sporting - will look like.

However, Horner raised concerns last weekend in Austria that so long as the commercial rights holder - Liberty Media - and F1's governing body, the FIA, were not on the same page when it came to outlining plans for 2021 and beyond, there would be compromises that may leave some parties dissatisfied.

"I think the problem, and the risks that I see, is if the FIA and the promoter aren’t fully aligned, we end up with compromises and vanilla-type regulations," Horner said.

"I think there needs to be a real clarity going forward as to what the sport is going to be, what are the regulations going to be, that both parties ultimately have to buy into.

"Liberty have paid $8 billion for this sport. They’ve got to turn it into something that’s even more attractive, that’s fantastic racing. Obviously there are cost issues, there’s revenue issues that need dealing with. The FIA, obviously as the governing body, they’ve got to be fully-aligned with that, and what concerns us is discussions of where things are going with engines, where things are going with chassis regulations.

"Everything seems to be getting watered down somewhat from what the initial concept is. So, I think the next 500 days are going to be very telling for life, post-2020."

Mercedes F1 chief Toto Wolff followed up by saying that while he and Horner had different objectives in outlining the sport's future, he agreed there was a need for clarity from its officials.

"Traditionally, if you look at the objectives, Christian and mine are maybe a little bit different. We would like to have a little bit more emphasis on the power unit and Christian on the chassis but that maybe changes," Wolff said.

"But I think transparency and a clear path is important.  We need to know what’s happening in 2021, what the regs look like on the power unit side and on the chassis side in order to get things moving and avoid a cost escalation, a cost rush last minute. That is important.

"I hope that with next week’s meeting, we have a little bit more understanding and input and then we see where it ends up."