Horner predicts chaotic F1 restart with ‘rusty as hell’ drivers

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner anticipates a few surprises to the natural order when the 2020 Formula 1 World Championship season eventually gets underway.

The F1 drivers haven’t been out on track since pre-season testing concluded in March with no action expected to take place until the proposed Austrian Grand Prix gets underway in July.

It’s an unusual situation that may have the effect of shaking up the field when the season does eventually start as some drivers take longer to dust off the ‘rust’ than others, according to Horner, who expects a few incidents when the coronavirus-enforced break is ended.

“This is probably the longest time all the drivers have been out of a seat,” Horner told  The Guardian. “That could be healthy in a way. If we begin again in July, they will all be rusty as hell and there will be some incidents.”

“You remain itching to get going. The competitor within craves to get going, to get racing. It is unnatural for drivers and team members to be sitting on their hands when we would usually be racing.”

“When you don’t experience something for a long time you realise how much you love it and how much you miss it.”

The Honda-engined Red Bull team heads into the 2020 season with Max Verstappen being joined by Alex Albon, the Thai-British driver getting a full season with the title-winning outfit after impressing in his surprise promotion from Toro Rosso two-thirds into his rookie campaign.

It will be Red Bull second season using Honda power, a relationship that has already yielded three victories in the hands of Verstappen