Horner suggests Invitation Grand Prix for Formula 1

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has suggested Formula 1 should hold an "Invitation race" every season following the success of the Tuscan Grand Prix.

The sport raced at Mugello last time out, the first of five irregular circuits on a calendar reshuffled to ensure a world championship could be completed in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Williams driver George Russell has previously touted the idea of using "two joker circuits" every season, whilst Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff revealed he "liked the concept" of a rotational calendar.

Writing in his column for Red Bull, Horner raised the question of inviting different circuits to stage a race each year.

"It is great that F1 are going to these different venues," he said.

"We have some more coming up in Istanbul and Imola. It keeps up the competition for a place for one of the 22 slots on the calendar and I think it would be good to have some sort of invitation race once a year to take in these different tracks."

Formula 1 returns from its week off this weekend at Sochi, a track that has historically suited Mercedes.

But Horner remains hopeful his team can pressurise the championship leaders enough to make things uncomfortable at the front.

"I expect Mercedes to be fired up and pretty dominant as [Sochi] is their type of track," he added.

"But as we have seen this season tyre degradation is an interesting factor. They weren't stretched last weekend but you could hear how nervous they were, instructing their drivers to stay off the kerbs.

"So, it would be great if we can be competitive in Sochi and put them under a little bit of pressure because that is when things can happen."

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