Red Bull

Horner: Lack of seat time means there 'will be some incidents'

Race rustiness could see the carbon fibre fly

Sam Hall

Friday 8 May 2020 15:26 Updated: 13:05

Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner is wary of drivers being "rusty" ahead of the proposed season opening grand prix in Austria on July 5.

The gap between the 2019 season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the potential July 5 2020 season opener will be a total of 217-days, the longest gap between seasons in the history of Formula 1.

“You remain itching to get going,” Horner told The Guardian. “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.”

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

Max Verstappen and Alex Albon have both been keeping their eyes in by competing in sim racing events and competitions, but Horner says the large amount of time out of the seat is likely to show when the drivers eventually get back out on track.

“This is probably the longest time all the drivers have been out of a seat,” added Horner. “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.”

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