Horner warns against painting ‘doomsday’ F1 Brexit scenario

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has warned against painting a “doomsday” scenario of Brexit’s potential impact on Formula 1, believing it is currently difficult to make any plans for possible outcomes.

The United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union on March 29, but is currently without a deal for the terms of its exit from the body, sparking concerns over the impact of a possible ‘no-deal Brexit’.

Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff said on Monday he felt Brexit had become “the mother of all messes” and feared the impact of a “nightmare” no-deal scenario on F1 given the roots for many teams in the UK.

Horner said that it was difficult to know what the impact of Brexit would be so long as there was no clarity regarding the terms of the UK’s withdrawal, adding it was crucial to find out soon what would be happening.

“Obviously as a team, we do our due diligence, but whether there is a no deal, any deal, we will have to deal with it. Life ultimately will go on,” Horner said.

“I think it’s important that we get to a conclusion sooner rather than later to get rid of all the uncertainty, because it’s unsettling for so many aspects.

“I think Brexit is something that really does need to be addressed, for the clarity of everybody, sooner rather than later.”

Asked directly about Wolff’s comments, Horner said: “You can paint a doomsday scenario of Brexit, or you can actually maybe say ‘how much is it actually going to affect our daily life?’

“I don’t think any of us can actually answer that question, so until a solution is found and a deal is put on the table, then we know what we’re dealing with, and then we can adapt.

“But when you’re swimming in the fog at the moment, it’s very difficult to make plans without clarity."

Red Bull races under an Austrian license, but is based in Milton Keynes as one of the seven F1 teams based in the UK.