The most extensive calendar in the history of Formula 1 and at the same time disrupted global logistics chains: This is a combination that causes concern for Red Bull team boss Christian Horner with a view to the further course of the season.
“It’s a big challenge,” he says. “We have a very complicated calendar and schedule, and with some of the triple headers and double headers happening late in the year, the loss of cargo for a period of time could be devastating.”
The restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and, most recently, the war in Ukraine have brought global supply chains to a standstill and caused logistics disruptions. International motorsport is also affected by this.
MotoGP had to cancel practice day
At the beginning of April, MotoGP had to cancel the first day of practice at the Argentine Grand Prix because some teams’ cargo had not arrived in time at the circuit in Termas de Río Hondo.
In Formula 1, Haas missed the first day of pre-season testing in Bahrain after a cargo flight was delayed. And also at the Australian Grand Prix, part of the freight only arrived at the last second due to a ship’s delay.
“So this is an issue on which we naturally work very closely with the logisticians and Formula 1,” says Horner.
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost also knows: “This is of course a big challenge because we have a tight schedule. But we are aware of what means that we have to deal with it and have to be prepared,” said the Austrian.
Horner: Freight costs almost doubled in 2022
“Last-minute deals are no longer possible, and as a competitor, the costs increase dramatically. This means that we have a lot of problems to solve from the logistical side,” Tost continues.
“I hope that all the teams will have the cars and equipment at the track in time so that we don’t have a delay like we had in MotoGP.”
The bloated calendar and soaring energy costs means that teams have to pay more and more to transport their cars and equipment. “I think the cost of freight has almost doubled this year,” says Horner.
“We’re seeing that in the cost of living, we’re seeing inflation around the world, and I think, given that freight is something that’s currently within cap, we need to find a reasonable subsidy that accounts for that inflationary cost.” , so the Red Bull team boss with a view to the budget limit.