Red Bull’s Christian Horner says new regulations in the 2022 F1 season will see different teams enter the title race and it will distract from his team’s rivalry with Mercedes.
The tension between the two teams is at an all-time high after Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton on the last lap of the season to take the world title. Horner had previously claimed people in and around the sport would forget about the circumstances of their 2021 win and now he says the way in which that will happen is through new storylines of a fresh season.
Regulations have changed around the engineering of the cars to allow for more aerodynamics. Many believe this could see the likes of Ferrari enter the race for the world championship. Speaking to Indian broadcaster WION, Horner explained: “I think there could be a shakeup in the order.
“You could see teams like Ferrari, McLaren, maybe even one or two surprises, because it’s a complete reset of the regulations and ourselves and Mercedes were very much involved in last year’s championship fight.
“So inevitably, that takes a little bit of distraction and emphasis away from the following year. We expect to have some very fierce competition out there this year and I think it is going to be an exciting championship ahead.”
The new season will start in Bahrain in March just after the inquiry into the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is released. The outcome of the investigation could shake the season up even further with rumours suggesting race director Michael Masi could be out of a job.
Whoever is race director in 2022, reports claim they will have more protection after Mercedes and Red Bull lobbied Masi during the final race. It’s thought team principals will no longer be able to speak directly to the race director during Grand Prix's.
