Second Division: Interview with Christian Horner

The big headlines in Melbourne on Wednesday morning had Mark Webber telling his local media that he wasn't going to win the Australian Grand Prix. This might be a disappointment for the Aussie fans who were expecting more, but it was not a great surprise to most of us that Webber was being a bit downbeat.

Red Bull Racing has not had a hugely encouraging winter as the new RB3 has not shown the performance that the team was expecting. It was inevitable that the combination of an Adrian Newey chassis and the World Championship-winning Renault V8 engine would take time to hone, but nevertheless the starting point was not what either Webber or David Coulthard were expecting.

The team has certainly made progress since January, but so has everyone else, and a washed-out final shakedown in Magny-Cours didn't help. We asked team principal Christian Horner for his thoughts on the season ahead.

Q: We're finally in Melbourne... Do you have any idea of your true position?

Christian Horner: "Well, we'll know exactly where we are on Saturday. Friday is another test day here, and we've still got some components to evaluate after the test in Magny-Cours was disrupted by the weather. The bullshit stops here now, so you find out where you are. We've made progress during the testing. The car has a great deal of potential and we're only just starting to extract some of that potential from it."

Q: How would you summarise how the testing went?

Horner: "We didn't run an interim car and we started with a completely clean sheet of paper. Inevitably there's been systems integration between chassis, engine and electronics. We're working with a new engine partner and introducing not an evolutionary car but a revolutionary car that wasn't in its fully defined aero package yet has taken a lot of hard effort by all of the team.

"They've done an excellent job to be out and running with two cars and make significant steps forward, firstly in reliability. We worked through a programme and there was a lot to do because we were starting from zero. You'll see things evolve quickly.

"We had zero experience of the Renault engine. We've got a completely new electronics package on the car, together with a clean sheet of paper vehicle itself. Obviously, it is a significant challenge, but we're making headway rapidly, and all areas are making good progress."

Q: How useful was the major Bahrain test?

Horner: "It was a very beneficial test for us because obviously you're going to run in very relevant temperatures to what you're going to race in, and we learned a great deal from that test. Concentrated at a venue like that it was very productive and much more preferable to staying in Europe."

Q: Any particular worries on reliability?

Horner: "We did a couple of race distances in Bahrain. We've had a few niggly new car problems, but problems that you'd expect from a package with a new engine and new electronics. Every aspect of the package is new this year.

"The guys have worked tremendously hard and got on top of those issues very, very quickly. Certainly in the first couple of races there are always some cheap points from being there at the finish, and the target is that we've got both cars there at the finish."

Q: Does the package have one particular weakness that you have to focus on?

Horner: "Adrian is working extremely hard on the general aero updates, and we've got other revisions coming along. We've got a very aggressive development programme this year, which is inevitable with a clean sheet design. We're just looking to move all areas forward."

Q: You have gone from Cosworth to Ferrari and then Ferrari to Renault. Were they equally big changes to make? Spyker, for example, say that the adjustment to Ferrari is more complex than Toyota.

Horner: "They're all different, and that's the biggest problem, that they have different requirements and different specifications and intricacies. We've changed electronics packages three times in three years, which is a significant challenge.

"We're really happy with the working relationship that we have with Renault - that's working extremely well. Now that things are settled for the foreseeable future we'll see progress throughout this season as the potential of the partnership really starts to materialise."

Q: Is the electronics package all from Renault?

Horner: "All the software is written internally in-house at Red Bull Racing. Obviously the interface with the engine electronics means there was a lot of work to be done on both sides."

Q: But generally you're making progress with the car?

Horner: "It's definitely a significant step from RB2. The problem with the common tests is that they can sometimes be judged as all-day qualifying sessions, but we were just keeping our heads down and focusing on the job that we were doing and preparing in the best possible way that we could for Melbourne."

Q: How have you adapted to the Bridgestones?

Horner: "It's obviously a different challenge, but I think it's a different challenge for all the teams, even the existing Bridgestone teams. It's great to be working on a level playing field in that respect. Different teams are getting on with the tyres at different rates, but ultimately we've all got the same products, so it's down to the individual teams to maximise."

Q: Is it an advantage for the midfield teams that the tyres are taken out of the equation and you can concentrate on the chassis and so on?

Horner: "I think if you look at testing 12 months ago, 80 percent of it was tyre testing. You never ran the car in the same configuration twice, because it was always a different compound for a different circuit, and constant evolution, which is obviously what you get in a tyre war.

"Now the stability of the tyres means that 90 percent of the testing that you do is focused on chassis and aerodynamics. Engines are obviously now contained within the homologation regulations, so therefore a lot of emphasis focuses on chassis balance and aero. It's going to be very interesting to see how things evolve over the next 12 months or so."

Q: You've got relationships with both STR and Renault, albeit in different areas. But you've got a certain amount of information and data coming in from two other teams, which is a very unusual situation...

Horner: "The teams operate as separate entities. We enjoy a good partnership with Renault, we have a very transparent relationship with them. We're happy with the way that we're structured."

Q: How easily has Mark settled in, bearing in mind he knows a lot of the mechanics and so on from before (during his time with the team in its former incarnation as Jaguar)?

Horner: "Obviously there's been a massive amount of change since Mark was at Jaguar. He has got a very strong work ethic, he works very hard, and he gives very strong feedback that is totally consistent with David's.

"We have two professional drivers, and it's immediate to see the impact that has had and the quality of feedback that's coming back. The two drivers are working well together, and from a team perspective it's a very good situation for us."

Q: Do you think that your driver choice reflects your aim to be solidly in the points as often as you can this year?

Horner: "Basically, we've got all the fundamentals in place now. It's just a matter of it all synchronising, and I've absolutely no doubt about that continuity over a period of time will yield results.

"This year, I'm sure that you'll see the team make constant progress throughout the season and I think we're well geared up to achieve that. However, looking at the teams we're competing against, to break into the top five in the constructors' championship we're going to have to beat at least two manufacturer teams. It's no small undertaking to achieve that. Is it achievable? Absolutely."

Q: Is it potentially easier now that engines are restricted?

Horner: "I think it creates a far more level playing field, because obviously it's limited in terms of the parameters on the engine side. I think the difference between the best and the worst engines isn't what it was in V10 or open development times. And it's not a constantly moving target. We know we've got a good engine, we know we've got the same tyres as the others, which makes it very obvious where all the positive attention has to go."

Q: What's the biggest single challenge this year?

Horner: "I think the biggest challenge for us is that the year only has 52 weeks in it! If there were another four weeks in it, it would help. But that's probably the case for all teams. We're making rapid progress, and this isn't an evolution, it's a revolutionary car in terms of what we've seen previously. We expected some early teething issues, but very quickly the engineering group are getting on top of that and we're making constant progress."

Q: You've made it clear that you want to downplay the party image. How important is it to get results this season?

Horner: "We're not in F1 to have a good time, we're here to ultimately deliver, and deliver on circuit. Adrian and other key individuals didn't join the team just because Red Bull throw a good party now and again. You must never underestimate the quality of the opposition, because there are a lot of teams that have been around a long time.

"A lot of people are writing Williams off and assigned them to the scrapheap, which you do at your peril, because they're a great team with a great history and great people involved. They'll be fighting just as hard to get back up there. As an independent team under the current regulations it is possible to compete, but only time will tell."

Q: Looking up and down the pitlane, who will be setting the pace?

Horner: "You've got Ferrari and McLaren out ahead, with BMW probably not far behind them. Renault appeared to make a bit of a step on the last day at Bahrain. And then you've got the second division, which is where we'll be pitching ourselves again. And it's a very competitive second division - it's going to be very, very tight."

Q: Is there any chance you can qualify in the top 10?

Horner: "That's obviously what we're going to be aiming at. There are a few question marks out there, like how competitive the Super Aguri will be, and just where our competitors are. It's probably going to be harder to get from Q1 to Q2 than from Q2 to Q3, or it will be tighter. Hopefully we'll have a sensible run here."

Q: Can you clarify the situation with regard to Red Bull Technology designing both cars?

Horner: "Red Bull Technology is a design and manufacturing facility. It's a totally separate entity to Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. Red Bull Racing is obviously all the race operations, race engineering and all the various logistical elements that go with operating this team. RB3 was totally produced in-house in Milton Keynes, and STR have produced totally their own car."

Q: When did it become Red Bull Technology?

Horner: "Some time last year."

Q: You are going into your third season as team boss - is it harder than you expected?

Horner: "I never expected it to be easy, but I'm very pleased with the progress that the team's making, I'm very pleased with the progress we're making as a group. We've worked hard to get the right group together, and I think that hopefully we'll start to see the culmination of that fairly shortly."

Q: Finally, after running him in GP2 are you going to be keeping a close eye on Heikki Kovalainen?

Horner: "I'll be following his progress with interest. He's a very talented young man, and I'm sure he's going to give Giancarlo a hard time sooner than he thinks."

We want to hear from you!

Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.

Take our survey

- The Autosport.com Team

Read and post comments