Red Bull F1 Team Principal Christian Horner has "shrugged off speculation about his future" and said that he is determined to stay on to help the troubled team resolve its problems, according to REUTERS. One of Horner's rival principals called him on Sunday to "commiserate about his supposed departure." The unidentified team principal had been "given the impression" that former McLaren and Ferrari driver Gerhard Berger, who is close to Red Bull Owner Dietrich Mateschitz, was "set to replace the Briton." Horner said, "I was shocked. I had no idea people were talking about me that way. I have a long contract with the team. ... We know we have problems but we just have to work through them and I am here to do that job." The relationship with "under-performing" engine partner Renault has been "stretched to breaking point while Mateschitz has talked of falling out of love with the sport." Horner said that changes "needed to be made to enable Renault and Honda to close the gap on champions Mercedes and Ferrari while the rules should be simplified" (REUTERS, 6/23).
GUY FOR THE JOB: SKY SPORTS' William Esler wrote Horner said that an "independent figure" like former F1 Team Principal Ross Brawn "should write F1's rules." The Red Bull boss has also "called for the sport's Strategy Group to be abolished." Horner said that the teams "shouldn’t have a say in how the rules are written when they have a vested interest." Intriguingly, he "floats the name of Brawn -- the legendary former team boss and technical director who won multiple world championships -- as one such person who could shape future regulations." Horner: "The Strategy Group at the moment is fairly inept and I keep saying it needs the commercial rights holder and the governing body to decide what they want Formula 1 to be and then put it on the table to the teams and say 'this is what we want the product to be, these are the rules, there is the entry form.' Maybe you need an independent, someone that isn't currently involved, somebody like a Ross Brawn, who understands the business, understands the challenges to write the specification for what a car should be" (SKY SPORTS, 6/22).
