Christian Horner believes Formula 1 must learn from last weekend’s Las Vegas GP, citing a series of issues with the event. Most significantly, the Red Bull boss outlined the poor scheduling and excessive workloads for team members.
The action in Las Vegas started with significant controversy, as FP1 was called off within 10 minutes. The decision came after Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon suffered damage from drain covers that were not adequately sealed to the ground.
Considering the rush to prepare the paddock to host an F1 race, such issues with the circuit were more prone to happen. As a result, the first Vegas GP in decades was on the receiving end of very heavy criticism.
Max Verstappen was one of the most critical voices against the circuit organisers. The Dutchman also expressed further complaints about the general direction of recently added circuits on the calendar.
Horner calls for changes
Speaking after the Vegas GP, Christian Horner was clear about what he feels must be improved:
“I think one of the things we can look at is the running schedule. Because it’s been brutal for the team.
“All the men and women behind the scenes, I think everybody’s leaving Vegas slightly f****d.
“We need to look at how we can improve that for the future. We’re running so late at night, so maybe we run it a little earlier in the evening.
“You’re never going to keep every television audience totally happy. This is an American race, so if you run at eight o’clock in the evening, it would be more comfortable for all.”
The race schedule was a substantial criticism of last weekend’s event. After all, large portions of the American audience would be forced to watch the Grand Prix at a very inconvenient time.
Given the efforts F1 is making to grow its US audience, this seems somewhat counter-productive.
Horner also mentions one of the biggest issues facing the sport: the growing stress on team staff. Personnel are now attending more races than ever. As such, there are calls for an improved balance for those working for the various teams.
