Pirelli identified microscope failures within the tyre sidewall on the Losail Worldwide Circuit final weekend, an issue triggered by drivers operating protractedly over new kerbs with a 50mm raised edge.
Consequently, the tyre producer and the FIA imposed a maximum stint length of 18 laps for the 57-lap grand prix, which compelled drivers to run a three-stop technique.
Nevertheless, this was met with criticism that it was too prescriptive and led to a predictable race. This can be a sentiment shared by Horner, who due to this fact believes F1 shouldn’t really feel the necessity to make it a extra everlasting fixture or else danger it impacting qualifying as effectively.
He mentioned: “I feel you have to give the liberty and that creates the creativity.
“Mandated pitstops? It should affect the tip of qualifying and what number of laps you do in qualifying to save lots of tyres for the race… in order that to me, it would not make sense.
“You need to run your quickest race and whether or not it is a one cease or two cease or three cease. That is the place we have to be at.”
Christian Horner, Crew Principal, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Purple Bull driver Max Verstappen, the newly topped three-time world champion, led from lights to flag as he claimed victory by 4.8 seconds over McLaren rookie Oscar Piastri.
It’s possible that his successful margin would have been larger had he not lowered his tempo to cowl a possible late security automotive. Verstappen has additionally been notable for his tyre saving efforts aboard the RB19 this season, a side considerably mitigated by the FIA restrictions.
Horner continued: “From a security perspective, I absolutely perceive why they did it.
“Perhaps strategically, it wasn’t the optimum technique for this race, two cease and tyre deg and a few of the different issues would have come into play.
“However it was a unique race and it examined the strategists otherwise.
“The factor is, it made it much more predictable as a result of you understand what the utmost stint size for every automotive was.
“So for us, it was about managing the chance and publicity of a security automotive throughout the final 10 laps, which is why we went previous an optimum technique to be sure that we had the protection within the occasion the drivers behind had a free cease to offer Max the perfect tyres doable.
“So, it was a danger limitation technique, significantly in that final 10 [laps].”
Horner additionally reckoned the 18-lap stints “diluted” what Sergio Perez may have achieved, because the Mexican recovered from a pitlane begin to rating tenth, albeit racking up three five-second penalties for observe restrict offences within the course of.