Horner Warns F1 Manufacturers' Exodus Not Over

Red Bull Racing manager Christian Horner issued a warning to the International Automobile Federation (FIA) during the unveiling of his team's RB6 model for 2010, on Wednesday, insisting that the manufacturers' exodus from Formula One might not be over just yet.

While it appears that economic difficulties have forced Honda, BMW and Toyota to quit the series during the last couple of years, Horner believes another reason may have caused the group withdrawal from the series. The British team manager argued that the engine freeze policy imposed by the FIA a few years ago led to a situation in which some teams are disadvantaged due to unequal engine capabilities.

“The problem with the engine freeze is that you freeze in an advantage. I think the Renault has some good aspects and Renault, when the freeze came, took it a bit more literally than some of the other manufacturers. I think there is disparity currently within engine performance,” said Horner.

“I think the problem is if you don't allow some development, then you freeze in an advantage for one team or a disadvantage for another. So there has to be a balancing of that, otherwise we will end up with Mercedes-powered cars winning all the races - which I think is not good for F1. And other manufacturers may choose to leave F1 off of the back of that,” added Horner.

Red Bull tried to switch their engine suppliers prior to the 2010 season from Renault to Mercedes, but the German manufacturer's decision to form their own team in the series put an end to the negotiations.