Horner: F1 teams ‘in agreement’ to delay new rules until 2023

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says Formula 1 teams have reached “reasonable agreement” to further delay the introduction of new technical regulations until 2023.

The planned 2021 technical rules have already been officially postponed by a year until 2022 amid uncertainty caused by the ongoing coronavirus crisis and concerns over how teams will be impacted financially with a delay to start of the 2020 season.

Teams will now carry over their 2020 chassis designs into 2021 and will only be able to develop aerodynamic elements next season, with the FIA confirming on Tuesday that all development on those cars will be banned until the end of this year.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Horner claimed teams have since agreed in principle to delay the introduction of the new technical rules by an additional year.

“We're also talking about pushing back a further year the new regulations, because in my mind it would be totally irresponsible to have the burden of development costs in 2021,” Horner said.

"There seems to be reasonable agreement but it needs ratifying by the FIA to push back those development costs into 2022 for introduction in the '23 season.

"The most important thing we need now is stability. Because the one thing we know is that whenever you introduce change you introduce cost, and stability right now and locking down as much of the car as possible is the most responsible way to drive those cost drivers down."

There has also been suggestions that the budget cap that was due to come into force next year at $150m could be lowered.

"There is positive and healthy discussion going on among all the teams to be responsible - and it's not just about the cap,” Horner explained.

"The cap is a ceiling. It is almost secondary as far as I'm concerned, it is reducing the cost in order to go racing.

“With, let's say, 60% of the chassis frozen for the next 18 months, that will have a dramatic effect on reducing the operational costs of a Grand Prix team, whether that be for Red Bull or Williams.”